A pensioner who spent days putting up his festive decorations has been ordered to pull them down due to “health and safety” concerns. People come from miles around to visit the lights on John Riley’s house in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
He began putting them up on December 1 but was asked by his letting agent, Priority Management, to take them down. A passing electrician raised concerns about a wire but now John has started a petition asking the agent to let him spread “holiday cheer”.
He told the Mirror: “I’m that angry, I’m spitting feathers. I’ve been putting the lights up for seven years without a problem.
“It took me two days to put all the lights up and then an electrician came to see the cottage round the back. An hour later I got an email telling me to take the lights down so I can only assume it was to do with him.
“I emailed back and said I’m happy to liaise with an electrician or a neighbour offered to let me plug them into his house.
“I took down all the lights, there and then. I was scared to upset them. I felt practically sick, I was so disgusted. People can’t believe it.
“I always put lights up, it brings a little joy to people. I started a petition and people have called the letting agent to call him a Grinch. I just want to put our lights up.”
People have even asked Mr Riley why his house is undecorated and his petition has had dozens of signatures. It reads: “For the past seven years, I have been bringing joy to my community by putting up Christmas lights around my rented property.
“This year, after spending two days setting up the lights, I received an email from my letting agent on December 6 instructing me to take them down.
“The absence of these festive decorations has not gone unnoticed; people have been contacting me all day asking why there are no lights this year.
“This is not just about one house or one tenant; it’s about the spirit of Christmas and the ability for everyone to participate in spreading holiday cheer.
“We understand that landlords and letting agents have responsibilities towards maintaining property standards. However, we believe there can be a balance between preserving these standards and allowing tenants some freedom to celebrate holidays as they see fit.
A spokesman for Priority Management said: “Neither Priority nor the landlord has any wish to spoil the enjoyment of anyone over the festive period but we do have an overriding responsibility for the safety of our tenants and visitors to the properties we look after.
“Two professionally qualified electrical contractors independently contacted us to bring our attention to the dangerous condition of an installation.
“Under the circumstances, we had no option but to raise the issue with the landlord and it was consequently agreed that, safety being of the paramount importance, the external lights and associated cabling should be removed.”
