Mow your lawn - or else, council tells couple in privately owned house

Paul Smith holds the letter he received from Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing. Picture shows Paul Smith at his privately-owned home was shocked - when she received a letter from authorities telling her to cut her GRASS. See Ross Parry copy RPYGRASS : Janne Shread was stunned when the strongly-worded letter arrived, which threatened "further action" if she didn't mow the lawn. The 43-year-old branded the council "hypocrites", saying they have failed to cut their own grass in the area's public areas. Janne, an admin worker from Mirfield, West Yorks., lives with partner Paul Smith who bought the property in 1996 from its previous owners who had bought it off the council. rossparry.co.uk/Harry Whitehead

Janne Shread and Paul Smith received the strongly-worded letter arrived, threatening “further action” if they didn’t mow the lawn.

The pair branded the council “hypocrites”, saying they themselves have failed to cut their own grass in the area’s public areas.

Paul, 45, bought the house from the previous owners in 1996, after they bought it from Kirklees Council in Mirfield, near Huddersfield.

Partner Janne said: “I just couldn’t believe their cheek and gall. Talk about pot kettle black.

“Don’t tell other people to cut their grass when you won’t even do your own.

They’ve made big cuts so they’re not cutting grass in public areas.

“Also, we’re private residents. It’s none of their business. We’ve been trying to improve the garden but we can’t afford to do it all at once, but anyone can see there’s work going on.

“They should have checked their facts before sending a letter with threats. It’s just really unpleasant.

“There’s no harm in knocking on the door and checking whether we own the house or not.”

The letter came from Kirklees Council’s housing management company following an inspection of the estate where the couple live.

It says: “Maintaining your gardens helps not only improve the appearance of your home but also of the estate in general. If you fail to maintain your garden, further action could be taken against you.”

A spokesperson for Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing said: “KNH carry out regular estate inspections to identify issues that need attention.

“They are also an opportunity to remind residents that they need to keep their gardens tidy.

“This is a condition of tenancy but is also part of the covenant that homeowners sign up to when they buy a home on a council estate.”