Council inspectors have ordered the parents of a four-year-old boy with severe autism to remove his trampoline and swing set from a communal garden.

Owen Houlton and Paige Kirby installed the play equipment for their son Hunter, who struggles to use public parks because of his disorder.

But despite receiving no complaints from neighbours at the flats in Hillbrow Avenue, Sturry, Canterbury City Council (CCC) has branded it a health and safety hazard and says it must be taken down.

The decision has upset his parents, who say the £150 Argos set is a lifeline for their son, who has limited vocabulary and a tendency to run away on days out.

Mr Houlton says he is aware of the rules prohibiting such equipment in the enclosed garden, but hopes common sense will prevail.

“We only installed it because Hunter keeps escaping from the park, and it's just not safe,” he said.

“Having our own little space is so much safer and kinder for him.

“When we go to the park and there's other kids there, he can't really speak.

“He's got about 30 words in his vocabulary at the minute, so he gets upset and other kids are horrible to him, calling him a baby.

“I'm happy to take the swing down completely every night and then somehow secure the trampoline so no one else can use it.

“Our neighbours don’t use the garden and they’ve told us as much - they haven’t got a problem with it.

“We just want a bit of leeway, a conversation to be able to talk it out, as I don’t think the council understands how important this is to us.”

Mum Miss Kirby, 23, moved into the flats last year and says Mr Houlton visits daily to help with the children.

“Hunter wants to play in the parks, but he's so frustrated about it,” she said.

“It's just not nice, whereas in the garden it's a bit easier for him and us.

“Having that small space makes all the difference.”

A letter sent to Miss Kirby by CCC following a routine inspection gave her 48 hours to remove the equipment, which it said creates a health and safety risk.

Mr Houlton has accused the authority of hypocrisy, saying neighbouring flats have ornaments such as bird baths despite tenancy agreements stating no items can be erected in the garden.

He also claims a pile of rubbish has sat uncleared for some time and is attracting rats.

“The council come round and do inspections all the time - it's like they’re noticing stuff but being picky about what they want to punish people for,” the cleaner said.

But CCC says there is no room for negotiation on Hunter’s play equipment.

A spokesman told KentOnline: “While we have every sympathy with the family's situation, the tenancy agreement that people sign up to when moving into a council home is very clear that communal areas cannot be used in this way.

“A communal area is for the use of all the tenants living in the properties, and we have to be fair and apply this rule to everybody.

“There are obvious risks if residents install their own equipment in these areas, with no supervision and no guarantee of its condition or suitability for use.

"We are happy to talk this over with the family directly, but this is not an issue where we can negotiate, and we do expect this trampoline to be removed as we have requested.

"We will also tackle the concern they have raised about rubbish in the garden."