Gardener blasts neighbours for ‘grassing him up to’ council over noisy lawnmower

Malcolm Starr with one of his lawnmower (Picture: SWNS)

Neighbours are at war in a Norfolk village over a ‘loud’ ride-on lawnmower, which could land a gardener in court.

Malcom Starr has hit out at ‘nimbies’ in Holme, near Hunstanton, who ‘grassed him up’ to the council.

The 73-year-old says the moaners should ‘get a life’ after officials told him that he now faces an investigation over a noise complaint.

‘I feel like I’ve been grassed up by the lawnmower nimbies. They should just get a life,’ he said.

Mr Starr using a ride-on mower on his four-acre field at Holme (Picture: SWNS)

‘The only time I have cut even the lawn was on a Sunday a couple of weeks back. I have said to the council it is a very poor show, they want to get their facts right.’

Mr Starr has been warned that if the council considers the noise to be a ‘nuisance’, he could be served with a noise abatement order, or even find himself in court.

This is also not the first time he has butted heads with people in Holme where he has spoken out about the high proportion of second homes.

Mr Starr and and his wife Claudia, who rent out a string of holiday lets in the area, were last year threatened with legal action by the same council after it received a complaint over a sign they had put up to promote their business without getting official permission.

In their letter, officials have told him he is being investigated for a possible breach of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which protects people from such noise nuisances.

But the legislation does not specify legal limits of noise, and officers are required to investigate whether it is ‘unreasonable’ or may ‘substantially interfere’ with the neighbours.

Mr Starr has been told they hope to resolve this with an ‘informal solution’, but if that is not successful will carry out further inquiries.

A West Norfolk council spokesperson said: ‘When the council receives complaints about noise or planning enforcement matters it has a legal duty to investigate and cannot comment on these while they are ongoing.’

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‘They should just get a life.’