An 81-year-old woman has been given an anti-social behavior order (ASBO) and told she can't wear a bikini in her own garden.
Kay Crane, a former model who lives in Stockport in Greater Manchester, said she felt bullied when she was ordered not to wear a bikini in view of a nearby nursery.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: "I was wearing my bikini in the garden during a hot spell last summer. I was hardly parading in front of the children - the nursery overlooks our house and its garden extends around the back of ours.
"I was also puzzled to be ordered to stop playing music. I was playing the radio in the garden, but it was talkSPORT.
Advert
"I did not shout at the children. What is the point of shouting at four-year-olds, telling them they shouldn't be here, which is what the council says I did?"
Stockport Council threatened legal action against Kay, telling her that they would be issuing 'committal proceedings' if she continued to 'breach the undertaking'.
She added: "Fear grips you when you get horrible letters, especially as you get older."
The council said that the case had alarmed and distressed children at the nursery, which overlooks Kay's house.
Advert
A spokesperson said: "We have tried to work with Ms Crane as much as possible, and whilst wearing a bikini is not a breach of the undertaking agreed in court, staring at the children, shouting at the children and watching the children playing whilst wearing a bikini in full view are some of the repeated behaviours that have caused concern and are classed as a breach of the undertaking."
According to a Freedom of Information request, over 20,000 of the so called 'nuisance notices' were given last year.
They can be issued by police or local councils - usually following a complaint from a neighbour. many of the cases reported include minor 'anti-social' behaviour such as keeping chickens, feeding birds or failing to keep gardens trimmed back and tidy.
According to the report three families were told that they couldn't keep chickens anymore and ten councils gave out notices against people feeding birds. Critics argue that many of the ASBOs were handed out for trivial behaviour.
Advert
In another case, North Warwickshire council ordered a householder to improve a shed that had fallen down.
The Home Office spokesperson said: "Anti-social behaviour harms communities and can severely impact people's way of life, which is why we have reformed the tools and powers available to tackle it."
Featured Image Credit: MercuryTopics: uk news