Nine months ago, we described Oxford City Council's treatment of Malcolm Everton as bizarre.

It appears that in the meantime, nothing has changed.

Mr Everton is a Good Samaritan, helping his neighbours by keeping the gardens around them neat and tidy and doing odd jobs at Bradlands sheltered housing complex at Old Marston.

But he has fallen foul of council rules by cutting the lawn outside his flat and giving concrete bollards bordering the grass a fresh coat of paint.

The council argues that he is breaking his tenancy agreement by doing such work.

It also says that no risk assessments have been carried out for the unauthorised work and that as landlord, it has to consider the health and safety of its tenants.

Isn't this taking it too far? What are people in sheltered housing supposed to do just sit and do nothing all day?

The nanny state, with its creeping petty rules, has much to answer for.

Elsewhere in Oxford, it is not difficult to find gardens which are a total mess and a disgrace to the families living in the homes.

Many would benefit from Mr Everton's horticultural skills.

We would have thought there were far more important issues for the council to be tackling than whether Mr Everton is cutting the grass and dabbing a bit of paint here and there.