A mother says she feels 'powerless' after being ordered by a court to remove a beloved rabbit and vegetable patch from her garden.
Storm Tapp-Grant, from Bitterne, was taken to court by housing association Aster after turning part of the shared garden outside her block of flats into a space where her two children could care for their pet rabbit and grow vegetables.
She said: “The kids all love the garden and the vegetable patch which we built and paid for with our own money.
“Our rabbit – Nibbles – was given to my daughter Everest by her grandad as a present for Easter two years ago who has now passed away.”
Her six-year-old daughter, Everest, described Nibbles as the “best pet ever”.
She said: “If they took her away, I would be so so sad, I wouldn’t even bother coming into the garden.
“Don’t take Nibbles away she’s my pet not yours.”
The 33-year-old mother of two said she was “ambushed” by Aster after the housing association took her to Southampton County Court on June 18 in a dispute over the rabbit, the hutch and vegetable patch.
She said: “I felt so powerless and scared.
“I was overpowered completely, it was an open and shut case and they didn’t even listen to what I had to say.”
Storm, who has lived at the property since 2021, created the vegetable patch around two years ago to teach her children about growing healthy food.
She said the family have grown lettuce, runner beans and cabbages, while this year they planted carrots, parsnips and sunflowers.
“It’s so unfair, as a group they are disgusting with how they’ve dealt with this.”
A spokesperson for Aster said: “We understand how important it is for our customers to enjoy their homes and shared spaces, and we always aim to balance individual needs with those of the wider community.
“We were made aware of concerns about a rabbit, hutch, decking and raised beds installed on communal land without the required permission. Other customers have raised concerns including about the animal’s welfare.”
Aster said it had asked Storm to remove the rabbit, hutch, and vegetable patch in line with her tenancy agreement and had worked to resolve the matter informally over a long period.
They obtained an injunction requiring the customer to remove the rabbit, raised beds, and decking from the communal gardens at the property within 14 days of the Order being granted.
The spokesperson added: “Despite our efforts, the customer has refused to remove the items, so we had to take the difficult decision to pursue legal action. The court has since ordered that the items are removed.
“We are looking to work with the family to explore keeping the rabbit inside their home, where appropriate and in line with their tenancy agreement.
“We want to ensure communal areas remain safe, accessible and are shared fairly with all customers.”
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