People on ‘Jubilee Road’ told to take down patriotic bunting over hazard

The Platinum Jubilee is meant to be a time of celebration and the coming together of communities.

But people living on one street aptly named ‘Jubilee Road’ have been left taking down their patriotic bunting over fears it is a hazard to large vehicles.

Jeff Williams, who lives on the road in Poole, Dorset, strung up the flags to get into the spirit of celebrating the Queen’s 70-year reign.

But he was left baffled when a council officer knocked on his door to tell him the bunting is a hazard to large vehicles because of its height.

He was told a complaint was bade to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council by someone else, which Jeff, 75, said was ‘laughable’.

The pensioner hung the 100ft length of bunting 14ft off the ground and was told it did not conform to regulations and that it needed to be 2ft higher at 16ft.

If the bunting remains as it is, Jeff could be fined £200 for breaching the Highway Act of 1980.

Jeff and all his neighbours must now embark on the perilous task of raising the bunting 2ft higher.

They will all attempt to fix 8ft long wooden canes to the houses in the hope the bunting will be raised to the appropriate height.

Jeff has been left bemused by the whole affair, saying: ‘My next email will be to the Queen to get her on the case.

‘The irony is we are on Jubilee Road. It is only right that we celebrate the Queen’s jubilee.

‘We can’t get the bunting any higher. The breaking strain is about half an ounce if something hit it, a two-year-old could break it. I can’t see any danger it could pose.

‘There’s no good reason why it should be taken down.

‘The largest vehicles which come down our road are the bin lorries and they clear it quite comfortably.’

Councillor Beverley Dunlop, portfolio holder for culture and vibrant places at the local BCP Council, said: ‘We’re proud to say we have more than 300 jubilee street parties taking place this weekend in celebration of the Queen’s 70-year reign – it’s great seeing the community come together.

‘Although we’ve issued broad guidance around residents putting up their own bunting, this is for legitimate safety reasons. We welcome street parties and are not preventing any events taking place.

‘Residents in Jubilee Road were not advised to take down their bunting. We advised that it was too low, which could be hazardous to large vehicles travelling underneath.’

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