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Lawn and order: Dundee pensioner ‘distraught’ as council removes garden ornaments

By James Simpson

December 4 2022, 7:38am

Margaret Campbell pictured at the side of her house earlier this year. Image: James Simpson/DC Thomson

A Dundee pensioner is “distraught” after council staff removed her garden ornaments from outside her sheltered house.

Margaret Campbell said items including garden gnomes were taken during a dispute over communal green space outside her Garry Place home.

Margaret Campbell. Image: Gareth Jennings/DC Thomson.

More than 20 items were removed by Dundee City Council from the side and rear of the house on Thursday morning.

A spokesman for the council explained the ornaments were taken into storage as a “last resort” because they breached rules on communal gardens.

Ornaments including a monkey and a duck were removed this week. Image: James Simpson/DC Thomson.

Margaret said the action taken was “totally unnecessary” as the items had been there for over two years and “weren’t doing any harm”.

The 69-year-old, who has lived in the area for nearly four years, said the display started as a tree and bench in the front garden, installed with the council’s permission, but has grown over the years.

She said: “There was nothing on this green space previously and no one used it for anything else.

“I could understand if it was car parts lying around but Thursday’s course of action was totally unnecessary.

“They’ve taken items from the front and my side of the back garden as well.”

Margaret’s husband, Jimmy, outside the property after the items were removed. Image: Gareth Jennings/DC Thomson.

The council is responsible for maintaining the garden, including cutting the grass, but Margaret says she has also helped with the upkeep.

The mother-of-three added: “It only seems to have been in the last year or so there has been an issue raised about this.

“We’ve cut the grass where the ornaments are based and tried to maintain it.

“The bench and tree have been left thankfully but all the ornaments have been removed.

“There was probably about £300 worth of stuff in total and I think they looked nice.

“It’s just an empty space now which no one was using previously – what harm was I actually doing?

“I was distraught watching them taking away all the items, it made me happy pottering away out there.”

Council took ornaments as ‘last resort’

A council spokesman said they had been in regular contact with the tenant before the removal of the ornaments.

He said: “We have made regular direct contact with the tenant regarding the council’s policy on the use and maintenance of communal grounds owned by the council before implementing the last resort of removing the items.”