A COUNCIL which ordered flower-lovers off a village green is now considering banning gardeners from other areas.

Officers have sent letters to people in Norton, near Stockton, telling them they must remove flowers near their homes on the edge of the 1,000-year-old village green.

Now Stockton Borough Council has said it will investigate other greens.

The authority is using a 19th Century law to clamp down on people who plant flowers on the edge of Norton Green after receiving complaints that they were ruining the area.

However, Trevor Davidson, a villager at Norton, said he and eight other gardeners would fight the ban.

He said that their attempt to gain highway licences to allow planting had been rejected.

Villagers now planned to take their fight to the Local Government Ombudsman, said Mr Davidson.

He said: "This has got way out of hand and I'm sure the council wish they'd never taken this pedantic move.

"We've had support from so many people in the village and elsewhere, including a lorry-driver from Newcastle who came to see what all the fuss was about.

"The sad part is that even people from other areas, like Thornaby and Billingham, have called us to say they've heard that the council will order flowers to be ripped up from their greens.

"The good part is that is has brought a real community spirit in Norton."

Dari Taylor, Stockton South MP, has confirmed that she has planted flowers outside her home in front of Thornaby village green.

Other greens which could be targeted by the council include those in Yarm and Billingham.

A spokesman for Stockton Borough Council said: "We have received a complaint about other village greens in the borough which we will be investigating further."