'Totally bonkers' council bans daffodils over concerns children will eat them
6 April 2022, 09:02
A council has been branded "totally bonkers" by locals after it revealed that it would stop planting daffodils for the foreseeable future due to health and safety reasons.
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St Blaise Town Council - which covers the town of St Blazey in Cornwall - made the decision after recent play park inspection training, having been advised that all parts of a daffodil can be poisonous.
They were told the flowers should not be in play areas as children may eat them, town clerk Gaynor Mamo said.
The council was also accused of cutting down over a 1,000 daffodils for the same reason, after residents planted them at the Old Roselyon Play Park.
However, the council said it was not responsible for cutting them down.
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Barry West, chairman of Roselyon Residents Group Committee, in the town of St Blaise, said the decision was the most 'preposterous' thing he had heard in his 60 years, according to CornwallLive.
"Are they going to put signs up saying don't eat the daffodils next?" he asked.
"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."
He added: "It is uplifting and good for the mental health and well-being of the community, the elderly, the infirm, families, carers and children who enjoy the splash of colour and fragrance.
"The true beauty of flowers is that they can help us create deep connections, strengthening bonds with nature, family, friends, and the community spaces and people around us.
"All over Cornwall this year has been ablaze with the golden yellow from daffodils that brings warmth and a smile to all that see."
The chairman later appealed to residents on Facebook to find out who was responsible for cutting the flowers down.
