And Finally... Bizarre ban on lawnmowers turns town into a wilderness

Families who now live next to wastelands of weeds, litter and poisonous plants have offered to mow the grass themselves.

But they were promptly ordered to cancel their plans because they might get hurt.

And residents in one street were banned from hiring workmen at a cost of £200, after the council said the contractors would also be breaking health and safety rules.

The grass is more than 1ft high in some areas and residents fear the verges could become a fire hazard in the hot weather.

Resident Carol Weatherall said: "The council seems to be scared that we might fall over and sue them.

"We asked if we could pay someone else to do it, but the story is the same.

"The grass hasn't been cut for nearly a year. It's an eyesore and it's dangerous. It's long and dry and there are glass bottles in there - it must be a fire hazard. We're not giving up on this. It's an appalling mess.

"There are a lot of trees along the verge and it could be like a tinderbox in this hot, dry weather. Our houses are in jeopardy.

We are willing to get our lawnmowers out but we are scared of getting in trouble. And I don't think it's our job - we pay our tax."

Lollipop lady Angela Davies said: "The council has been cutting this verge for 47 years and there hasn't been an accident yet.

I don't know why they suddenly think it's so dangerous. It's one thing for them to refuse to cut the grass but to threaten to prosecute us if we do is ludicrous."

The residents in Dudley, West Mids, say the ragwort weed - which is poisonous to animals - has spread through the verges and a petition has now been launched demanding the council tidy the estates.

Families have been told that they would face action if they mowed the grass, though town hall bosses have now admitted they would be unable to intervene.

A council spokesman said: "We can't stop people from cutting the grass banks on our land but we would strongly advise people against it because they are not insured to carry out what can be hazardous work.

"Some of these banks can be quite steep and we don't want 90-year-old men getting their lawnmowers out to cut the grass in case they seriously hurt themselves."