Gardener faces police action for rude topiary
Richard Jenkins initially cut the hedge into the shape of a hand flipping the middle finger for a joke
A gardener who trimmed a 10ft hedge into a hand flipping the middle finger has been warned he faces police action if he doesnāt chop it down.
Richard Jenkins, 63, has displayed the rude topiary in his front garden for the last 18 years.
He initially carved it as a joke for drinkers who teased him while he cut the hedges at a pub opposite his home in the village of Warton, Warwickshire.
The middle-finger bush also attracts hundreds of visitors, with Instagram and TikTok fans desperate to feature it on their online profiles.
But Mr Jenkins, who has two grown-up children and four grandchildren, was stunned when council chiefs ordered him to cut it down.
A resident living nearby complained about the hedge and Warwickshire County Council wrote to him threatening him with legal action.
But Mr Jenkins has remained defiant and locals who love the hedge have even launched a āSave the Warton Bushā campaign.
He said: āIt all started years ago as a bit of a laugh with the locals in the nearby pub.
āI used to do the hedges over there and theyād give me a bit of a tease when they came out.
āOne day I thought Iād get my own back so cut the hedge into a giant middle finger.
āThe pub locals thought it was hilarious and it just went from there. It became a permanent fixture in the village.
āEverything was fine until I got a letter from the council saying someone had complained, saying the hedge was obscene.
āI was told Iād have to cut it down or modify it so it didnāt look rude anymore. I refused so they got the police involved.
āA policeman came out and said if they received any more complaints then Iād be instantly fined.
āHe even suggested I turn it into a fist but I told him no way.
āI still didnāt do anything about the hedge apart from let it grow out a bit but thereās no way Iād chop it down.
āIt was all for a laugh.ā
Mr Jenkins and his wife of 22 years, Linda, 69, live opposite The Office Pub in the village with the hedge pointing towards the entrance.
He added: āMany people quite like it, often you see you people stopping in their cars, getting out and having a picture with it.
āOne local lad even has it as his screensaver on his phone.
āI have had it up for nearly 20 years now, it is staying.ā
Warwickshire Police confirmed an officer was sent to investigate although they had not received a direct complaint.
SWNS
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