Green-fingered Malcolm Everton just wants to keep the garden areas where he lives nice and tidy.

But his actions in painting bollards and mowing the lawn at the Bradlands sheltered housing complex in Old Marston has brought him into conflict with Oxford City Council.

Council housing officers have told the 58-year-old tenant that the lawn mowing and bollard painting have put him in breach of his tenancy agreement.

A letter sent on Thursday just hours after Mr Everton got his paint brushes out to repaint bollards which had been scratched by cars warned him that complaints had been made about his activities.

The letter, from the council's estate manager, said: "I will be consulting our legal team over these breaches and formal action regarding your tenancy may follow."

It is not the first time that Mr Everton's green fingers have got him into trouble with his landlord, even though his efforts have netted the complex several Oxford in Bloom awards.

Mr Everton said: "It is really getting me down. I want to find out where these so called complaints are coming from. Nobody has ever investigated them."

He has been told not to mow the lawn because the parks department does it every five weeks, but Mr Everton said: "It has been well over five weeks since they cut it and it looks an absolute jungle."

Parks department staff arrived to cut the lawn yesterday the day after the Oxford Mail called the council to ask what was going on.

One Bradlands' resident, who did not want to be named, said it was the gardens that had attracted him to the complex in the first place. He said: "Malcolm keeps the gardens and lawns beautifully. My garden is beautiful, all I do is look at it. He works hours on it it is absolutely ludicrous to say he is in breach of his tenancy."

A council spokesman said no risk assessments had been carried out for the unauthorised work and that, as landlord, the council had to consider the health and safety of tenants.

Caroline van Zyl, Liberal Democrat city councillor for Marston, said she had sympathy with Mr Everton and promised to discuss the problem with council officers.

She said: "You cannot take an adult who has led a full life and suddenly they are not allowed to mow a lawn or collect grass cuttings or paint bollards."