A mum claims her family can’t have fun any more after being told to take down her 12ft wide paddling pool.

Chelsea Davidson had also planned on hosting her wedding reception in the same communal area but has been banned due to “health and safety reasons.”

She has now removed her swimming pool from the yard in Silverweed Road, Walderslade, after being told by housing association mhs homes that she was breaching her tenancy agreement.

The 38-year-old, who has lived in the flat since 2009, says the pool has gone up between March and September for at least ten years without any problem, a fact she believes mhs homes were aware of based on another issue eight years ago.

But last Thursday (May 30) she received a phone call telling her she had seven days to remove it.

She said: “We haven’t got anything around this area for the kids, the only thing we ever get is during the holidays and you might have the occasional club at the school but nowhere for teenagers to socialise.

“The kids love playing together. If they’re not outside playing in the pool or kicking a football, they’re trashing my kitchen, baking cakes and rolls. It’s what we do, we love the fun.

“We’ve had barbecues, we’ve had birthday parties, we’ve even had little wedding parties down in the yard over the years.

“But now we’re not allowed barbecues, we’re not allowed to have fun and it’s not allowed to be a communal yard.”

It was during the call she was also told she could not host her wedding reception in the yard.

Chelsea will marry her partner of 19 years Bob Gartward on August 8 and had hoped to celebrate with her friends and family near their home.

She has already paid £200 to Gillingham Street Angels to provide a buffet.

“The plans have gone out the window thanks to mhs,” she said. “It’s taken us this long to plan because of a lack of money.

“Everyone up here is invited, we’re like a family, so I don’t see what the problem is.”

Chelsea received a letter confirming the matters discussed on the phone from mhs on Wednesday (June 5) dated Friday, May 31.

It said the family-sized pool is “prohibited in communal areas and goes against” its tenancy management policy.

It said an investigation would be launched and could put Chelsea’s tenancy at risk if she did not remove the pool and any other children’s toys or personal items. These should be stored in her home or a shed.

Through fear of the repercussions, she removed the pool but has started a petition which has been signed by 18 people in the area. She also plans to put it back up in the coming days.

The mhs homes spokesman said the health and safety of its customers is its “top priority”.

He added: “Communal spaces are a great way of bringing residents together and building a sense of community, but we also have a responsibility to keep people safe in these areas.

“We understand one of our customers wanted to celebrate their wedding reception in the communal space.

“However, as part of their tenancy agreement, we ask people not to use these spaces for barbeques, which can potentially lead to a fire hazard, or for large family-sized pools or trampolines, which also carry a health and safety risk. This is an important part of keeping people safe.”