Resident David Render has been told to stop cleaning neighbourhood after breaching health and safety
A RETIRED engineer who spent his own cash on a crusade to clean up his run-down neighbourhood has been ordered to stop because he has breached health and safety rules.
David Render, 54, led a remarkable transformation of once dilapidated areas near his home only to receive an email from a council official accusing him of ?trespass, criminal damage and removal of property?.
The email went on to warn him that if he carried on cutting down branches that overhang roads - as he had to do whilst restoring the sculpture - he would be put under investigation and ?appropriate action? would be taken.
Mr Render rounded up a team of volunteers and spent ?289 of his own money to restore a sculpture to its former glory after 28 years of neglect saw it become a rusting hulk obscured by overgrown bushes on a slip-road.
He also dragged a dilapidated picnic table back to his home and replaced the rotting timber before anchoring it safely to concrete posts back in its former position in the local park.
And the good Samaritan led teams of locals who collected mounds of rubbish and hacked back bramble bushes that were making a footpath unusable to local children walking to school in Washington, Tyne and Wear.
But he has been left stunned by the officious email from Sunderland Council demanding he stop his clean-up because it breached health and safety regulations.
Mr Render restored the town's old, worn and neglected sculpture
In anger the campaigner wrote to Prince Charles and received a letter from Clarence House to say that although the Prince could not become personally involved he ?recognised the strength of his feelings? and his office would forward Mr Render?s complaint to the council.
Mr Render, who heads the group Restoring Washington, said: ?I didn?t do it for recognition, I was just trying to help improve the area where we live and make it nicer for the people who call it home.
?But the last thing I expected to receive from the council was a threat of legal action. It?s madness.
?I was told I wasn?t doing suitable risk assessments before cutting down branches near the highway.
"The only risk assessment necessary was making sure the road was quiet and no cars were coming at the time.?
David's hard work has seen the sculpture return to its former glory
In an email earlier this month Mark Speed, head of Place Management at Sunderland City Council, said: ?I understand you believe you are in a position to carry out risk assessments and then cut down branches and trees which overhang highways.
"This is not acceptable as you are putting yourself and other members of the public in danger.
?I must insist you stop these activities now before someone gets hurt.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/703...erland?ref=yfp
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