New Labour - telling people on what they can have in their gardens.

AN army of town hall snoopers could soon be telling people what they can and cannot grow in their gardens.

Fast-growing plants and even lawns could be banned, under Labour’s latest environmental blitz.

People would be forced to get planning permission to make changes in their gardens in order to help the Government hit its targets for reducing waste.

Last night Bob Neill, the Tories’ local government spokesman, blasted the proposal. “This is utter nonsense,” he said. “Are they really expecting hardworking people to go along to the council to get building regulation consent to plant their rhododendrons?

“This is another example of the heavy hand of Labour needlessly meddling in people’s lives.”

The astonishing measures are put forward in a policy document commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Some lawns could be banned because eco-experts claim that “mulched gardens” are better for the environment.

They say that lawns need extensive watering and people toss cut grass in with normal household waste.

Gardeners would also be told to avoid plants that need a lot of water.

Backbench Tory MP Philip Davies said: “I am gobsmacked that this is something the Government thinks is worth wasting their time with.

“They should be concerned with saving gardens by stopping developments being built on them, not intruding further into people’s private lives.

“If this is what Gordon Brown’s latest relaunch amounts to, then God help us all.” Doretta Cocks, of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said: “We have already got too many officials allowed to invade people’s homes.

“It is dreadful to think that they are going to start spying on gardens as well.”

Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign group, said: “The Government and town hall officials should realise by now that they are not doing their basic jobs properly, so there is no way they should poke their nose into the design of our flower-beds.

“The last thing people need is more busybodies bossing people about.”

The report also suggests swingeing taxes on items such as single-use barbecues, paper plates, plastic cups and kitchen towels.

The moves could raise the price of a pack of disposable razors to £5. The report says: “Some products considered as luxuries, such as alcohol and tobacco, have heavy duties on them.

“If disposable products were categorised in a similar way then they could be subjected to similar duties.”

Bans on junk mail and free newspapers are also suggested. And the report backs moves to introduce crippling “bin tax” charges.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn is understood to be among those pressing for councils to have control over residents’ gardens.

But a Defra spokeswoman said yesterday the report was a discussion document and “does not necessarily reflect Government policy”.More socialist meddling in our lives.

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