A GREEN-fingered city resident is fuming after council chiefs removed her prize-winning plants from a shopping centre - claiming they were hazardous to shoppers.

Eileen Yuce spent months lovingly nurturing the tubs of plants at the Hopmarket and even paid for them in a bid to bring a little colour to the area.

Ms Yuce, aged 58, who scooped a Worcester in Bloom award for the flowers, was left outraged when council bosses swooped on the shrubs and swiped them, saying some of them were Deadly Nightshade plants that were putting shoppers at risk.

Deadly Nightshade, while not actually seriously deadly, can cause poisoning, though not usually fatal and only if eaten in large quantities.

However, Ms Yuce, a popular resident at the Hopmarket, claims she bought the plants from a respected garden shop and none of them were in any way poisonous.

"There were about 20 plants all around the Hopmarket that looked lovely and weren't doing anyone any harm," said Ms Yuce.

"I started doing the plants around the place because I can no longer look after my own garden after I had two heart attacks, so it was a good way to keep doing something I love.

"I'm so angry."

Dozens of shops in the Hopmarket signed a petition against the decision to remove the flowers and sent it to Worcester City Mayor, Coun Allah Ditta.

But the petition was in vain and the council persisted in removing the flowers, making the swoop yesterday morning.

Coun Ditta said: "The residents and shopkeepers were quite taken by the plants and enjoyed them. Why they have been removed I don't know and I think it's very unfair."

The Evening News spoke to Worcester City Council which said it was aware of the situation but the decision to remove the flowers was made by Worcester Community Housing (WCH), which runs the flats where Ms Yuce resides.

WCH also said it was aware of the situation but the only person able to comment, manager Ian Harkess, was unavailable when the Evening News went to press.