Elderly couple slapped with ASBO for putting plants and welcome mat outside their home of 35 years (2 Pics)

 A stunned elderly couple have been slapped with an ASBO after putting plants and a colourful doormat outside their home of 35 years.

John Whelan, 70, and his wife Alicia, 67, displayed the items in a bid to brighten up the communal areas of their tower block in Liverpool.

But they have now been issued with an Anti-Social Behavioural Order (ASBO), forbidding them from ‘placing any items in the communal areas’.

Mr Whelan has deemed the situation "utterly ridiculous", "completely disproportionate to the issue", and at the same time, "actually laughable".

"My kids got a badge made for me - 'proud ASBO' - and everyone thinks it’s an absolute joke," the pensioner told the Liverpool Echo .

He claimed the corridor at the Sefton Park block has been left looking like a 'prison' since residents were ordered to remove any decorations.

He also alleged the ASBO, which lasts for the lifetime of his and Mrs Whelan's tenancy and has been seen by the Echo, could result in the couple being evicted - if they were to break the conditions of the order.

However, Your Housing Group stated that any eviction decision would be made by a judge and not by the housing association, in the event the pair did break the conditions of their order and found themselves back in court.

Residents are ordered to remove items from corridors and communal areas as part of a fire safety policy operated by Your Housing Group - which is the housing organisation responsible for the tower block.

The organisation says it has been working with the Whelans for the past nine months to come to an agreement about the objects in the corridor.

It says residents can display whatever plants they would like to inside their own homes, adding: "This is not about impinging on residents' freedoms."

However, Mr Whelan claimed his and his wife's landing has been left "indistinguishable from a prison" after residents of York House on Croxteth Drive were told to remove decorations.

He said the landing used to be a ‘delight’, which was full of plants the couple had nurtured for years, and a bright doormat.

He claimed: “It’s utterly ridiculous and completely disproportionate to the issue and it’s a complete waste of resources on behalf of an organisation.

"The other aspect of it is, it’s actually laughable."

Liverpool Echo)

READ MORE

• Mum-of-four describes hell of 'disgusting' mould-ridden council house as severe damp causes walls to crumble and lights to explode

The ASBO was issued to the couple in January.

Mr Whelan described how his loved ones think "it's a joke", adding: "On a personal and emotional level it has not bothered us has such because we’re involved in a bigger struggle. There’s a lot of pressure to conform.”

Mrs Whelan suffers from a number of health conditions, and her husband claims his wife’s poor health has been exacerbated by the removal of the plants.

A spokeswoman for Your Housing told the Echo: “We have been working with Mr and Mrs Whelan for the past nine months to come to an agreement regarding the objects in the communal corridor.

“This is not about impinging on residents' freedoms – they are free to display whatever plants they would like to inside their own homes and we encourage them to do this.

“Our fire safety policy is based on the assessment of professional independent fire risk assessors and advice from the fire service.

"The advice from the fire experts is that corridors and stairways that form part of an escape route in tower blocks must be kept clear and hazard-free at all times.

“As a landlord we have a legal obligation to ensure that our residents can safely evacuate the building in the event of a fire when time is of the essence and visibility is dramatically reduced by smoke.

But speaking about the changes to York House’s communal spaces, Mr Whelan claimed: “Now our landing is indistinguishable from a prison – and our dark blue front door, amidst the bare cream walls and the echoing space, sadly emphasises the feeling that our home is now a cell."

He added: “In blocks like mine, what used to be a ‘social landlord’ is driving yet another nail into the coffin of ‘community’ and becoming a mix of policeman and jailer.”