Easter Bunnies Run Riot

Residents of Sylvan Mead and Sylvan Falls are being plagued by a "swarm" of rabbits. Behaving like locusts these cuddly creatures are decimating gardens in the area, eating tulips and other fresh young growth as it emerges from the ground.

The reason behind it is they are using as cover the piles of soil that developers Wm Naylors have illegally dumped on land they own bordering the new development off the York Road.

Cllr Felicity Temple brought the matter to the Council's Enforcement Department's attention when residents contacted her in early March. She said, "As a gardener myself I can really feel for these residents plight. The soil piles are so ugly to look at and then they have the further problems of the rabbits and also local people dumping their garden rubbish on the piles, right outside their homes. People sometimes just don't think about what harm their actions cause others and I urge people not to dump their household rubbish but to take it down to Kelleythorpe to the recycling facility there, or even stuff it in their wheeliebins, there is no law against that." She added, "I can understand the position the developers are in as regards the poor weather recently which added to the mess caused by moving the soil, and I thank them for their regular Friday cleaning of the roads. However, the inconvenience to those who have already bought their houses and have been living happily there for sometime is unbelievable.

The East Riding moved quickly with the Section 215 Notice and have said that any alternative site may need planning permission to store these soil piles. This enforcement notice requires the company to remove the spoil - which is the result of digging out the access road, but negotiations are underway for a compromise position.

The East Riding is concerned for the amenity of the residents, who are not only having to cope with the rabbits but also have these unsightly piles in on their doorsteps. Naylor's however are taking the stance that they have nowhere else to put the spoil until a local field becomes available following the harvest.

In the meantime the rabbits continue harvesting all the hard work the gardeners have put in over the years to enhance their surroundings.