Residents have been left baffled after their housing association ordered them to stop gathering on their garden furniture as it poses a health and safety risk.

Lyndon Brand, a resident of Hopeville Avenue in Broadstairs, Kent, created a space for residents to talk about their issues when he moved to the town two years ago.

The “wellness centre”, located in Mr Brand’s front garden, consists of four wooden chairs with side tables and a picnic bench.

But now Orbit Housing, the company that owns the bungalows, has asked residents to stop gathering at the popular hub because it could be dangerous.

Mr Brand, 60, said: “They told us we couldn’t have it because it was a tripping hazard.” They simply won’t listen to reason.

“It has made my life hell, which then trickles down to the rest of us, because if this happens we are all going to suffer.

“When I first read this letter. My world collapsed beneath me.

The notice issued by Orbit Housing states that if the seats are not removed voluntarily, they will come and remove them themselves.

The rebellious residents, however, are adamant that they will sit tight for as long as it takes to prevent their “shelter” from being taken away.

Mr Brand continued: “I was on call every day, I didn’t go out.

“If they get what they want and we come here one day and it’s all over, that would be terrible.

“We go out spontaneously because you have something on your mind that day.”

Retirees like Sheila Morris, 84, have come to rely on the center as a social space.

She said: “This is my family.

“I live alone, I have two small dogs and a whole big family right outside the front door.

“I have children but they are far, very far away. I can’t come and go to Herefordshire and my son can’t come back to me all the time.

The hub also became a crucial part of Brenda O’Rourke’s life.

The 78-year-old said: “I had cancer in my leg which made it very difficult to walk.

“I can’t just take buses here and there and I’ve had a triple heart bypass.

“I love the fact that even if no one was sitting here, I know if I knocked on someone’s door they would say come on, let’s sit down and talk.”

Orbit Housing suggested a coffee morning for residents in the neighboring village hall as a compromise.

But neighbors insisted they wanted something they could attend every day, saying “mental health doesn’t stop at the weekend”.

A spokeswoman for the housing association said: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is our priority, and we have a duty to ensure that outdoor communal areas are well managed and free from any hazards presenting health and safety or fire risks.

“We have therefore contacted all customers on the estate to ask them to please remove items in these areas.

“However, we also understand the wellbeing benefits that the outdoor social space can offer, which is why we have also offered in our letter to arrange a meeting with all guests living on the estate to help them to create a community space for the benefit of all, an appropriate and safe place.

“We encourage guests to accept our invitation so that we can redesign a space better suited to the needs of the entire estate.

“In the meantime, we have agreed that the benches will only remain until a new location can be agreed.”

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