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Gardener threatened with legal action if he doesn’t remove beloved middle finger hedge

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The 'Warton Bush' which has become local legend, as the rude gesturing hand shape has caused some offense over the years. (Photo by Tristan Potter via SWNS)

By Bradley Stokes via SWNS

A cheeky gardener who trimmed a 10-foot hedge into a hand flipping the middle finger has been warned he faces POLICE action if he doesn’t chop it down.

Richard Jackson, 63, has displayed the rudetopiary in his front garden for the last 18 years.

The 'Warton Bush' which has become a local legend, as the rude gesturing handshape has caused some offense over the years.
(Photo by Tristan Potter via SWNS)

He initially carved it as a joke for drinkers who teased him while he cut the hedges at a pub opposite his home in Warton, Warks, England.

"It all started years ago as a bit of a laugh with the locals in the nearby pub," he said.

“I used to do the hedges over there and they’d give me a bit of a tease when they came out.

“One day I thought I’d get my own back so cut the hedge into a giant middle finger.

“The pub locals thought it was hilarious and it just went from there. It became a permanent fixture in the village."

The middle-finger bush also attracts hundreds of visitors, with Instagram and TikTok fans desperate to feature it on their online profiles.

But Richard, who has two grown-up children and four grandchildren, was stunned when council chiefs ordered him to cut it down.

A resident living nearby complained about the hedge and the Warwickshire County Council wrote to him threatening him with legal action.

The 'Warton Bush' which has become local legend, as the rude gesturing hand shape has caused some offense over the years. (Tristan Potter via SWNS)
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“Everything was fine until I got a letter from the council saying someone had complained, saying the hedge was obscene," Richard said.

“I was told I’d have to cut it down or modify it so it didn’t look rude anymore. I refused so they got the police involved.

“A policeman came out and said if they received any more complaints then I’d be instantly fined. He even suggested I turn it into a fist but I told him no way."

But Richard has remained defiant and locals who love the hedge have even launched a ‘Save the Warton Bush’ campaign.

“I still didn’t do anything about the hedge apart from let it grow out a bit but there’s no way I’d chop it down," he said.

“It was all for a laugh.”

Gardener Richard Jackson, 63, with his nicknamed 'Warton Bush' which has become local legend, as the rude gesturing handshape has caused some offense over the years. (Photo by Tristan Potter via SWNS)

Richard and his wife of 22 years, Linda, 69, live opposite The Office Pub in the village with the hedge pointing towards the entrance.

"Many people quite like it, often you see you people stopping in their cars, getting out and having a picture with it," he said.

"One local lad even has it as his screensaver on his phone.

"I have had it up for nearly 20 years now, it is staying."

Warwickshire Police confirmed an officer was sent to investigate although they had not received a direct complaint.

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