Trim a few leylandii? It'd have been easier to cut down the Amazon rainforest!

This has not been the easiest of weeks to be a politician. Even by the rough-and-tumble standards of Westminster, the flak has come thick and fast. Some of the accusations have been justified. Others less so. But away from the fray and the front-page headlines, one local story caught my eye that brought back happy memories.

It concerned a couple who are being taken to court by Wolverhampton City Council under the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill for allegedly making their neighbour's life a misery. No, not because they had been throwing all-night parties or allowing their children to run amok, but because they had failed to keep their leylandii hedge in check.

By Chris Mullin See the rest of the article on the following link :- Mail online