Cornwall residents have branded a town council “bonkers” after they were falsely blamed for cutting down daffodils for ‘health and safety fears’.
Banning new bulbs at the play area for the foreseeable future, St Blaise Town Council warned that the flowers can be poisonous if eaten and could give children diarrhoea. Local people have nicknamed Old Roselyon Play Area, ‘Daffodil Walk’ as it is normally full of the spring flowers.
A controversial new policy bans new bulbs at the play area for the foreseeable future.
A Council Spokesperson said, “After recent play inspection training we were advised not to have daffodils in play areas as all parts of the daffodil can be poisonous.”
Roselyon Play Park Committee has criticised the decision as “preposterous”.
Barry West, the Chairman of the Roselyon Play Park Committee, said: “Are they going to put signs up saying don’t eat the daffodils next? This is totally bonkers.
“There have always been daffs in the park. It used to be an old orchard and there must have been about 1,000 flowers.
“Most of them have now been cut down. And to say that it’s because they are toxic to children if they eat them is crazy.’
One person highlighted the stupidity of the decision on social media: “Daffodils are also poisonous to dogs, even my mutt has the common sense not to eat them.”
The mystery daffodil culler:
Local residents are trying to track down the culprit after the Town Council denied that they had cut down the daffodils.
The Blaise Town Council Clerk, Gaynor Mamo said that if daffodils have been cut down it was nothing to do with the local authority. She said: “The daffodils at Polgover/Old Roselyon Play Area are still there.”
Confirming that no more daffodils would be planted in the future, she said: “After recent play inspection training we were advised not to have daffodils in play areas as all parts of the daffodil can be poisonous. I brought this to the attention of the town council who said no more daffs should be planted but those that were there before the land was devolved to us would stay.