Gordon Brown hates flowers.

El Gordon, the unelected PM has employed countless jobsworths, bean counters, health & safety bodies, council paper pushers and so so many others do nothing to add to our society. Other than increase the council tax bills of the rest of us.

For two decades they have provided a welcome dash of colour for the residents of Tonbridge House.

Indeed, such was their success in brightening up the high-rise tower block's corridors that council officials even featured the tubs of plastic flowers in the authority's own magazine.

But elderly residents in the sheltered accommodation block told of their anger today after the same authority branded the flowers a safety risk - and ordered their removal.

Give enough petty pen pushers enough time and they will dream up rules and regulations that have nothing to do with common sense.

Residents who fail to comply with the order to empty the corridors of the £65-a-week flats face possible legal action ending in eviction by landlords Croydon Council.

At least one resident is believed to have been displaying flowers for as long as 40 years, without incident.

Resident Bernard Towner, 65, said:'The wording of the letter was so aggressive - we might have been a bit more understanding if someone had come to speak to us but this was the first warning we got.

'It’s ridiculous really - I was talking to one lady who said she has had her flowers there since she moved in 40 years ago.'

Bill Ramsey, who has lived in the high-rise block for 11 years, said: 'This is a complete disgrace - we are being treated like criminals.

'We only put them up to cheer the place up a bit and the council even said they liked them at first - so much so that we have been featured in its own newsletter.

'I have had flowers up against the wall outside my door for nine years and nobody has ever tripped over them, or come close to doing so.

Thus we see the true face of Labour, all controlling, all seeing. It is not the fact that these flowers are safe, it is that they- the authories have passed an edict from on high - rules are rules and woe betide any who dare to speak out against the all wise state. Despite the fact that they were in a council newsletter.

Maybe one of the local MP's for Croydon could give the local council a slap and advise them to sit down and leave folks alone. Although don't hold out any hope for that as MP's of all colours seem to feel that they are rather more important than the folk they are supposed to represent...

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