A small florist in Hanwell may stop displaying its much-loved flowers outdoors after receiving a fine from Ealing Council due to the size of the display.

Floral Creations, based in Uxbridge Road, was slapped with a £100 fine on Thursday (May 31) because its outdoor display of flowers exceeded the store's licenced one-metre limit.

The florist, which opened in October last year, is allowed a one-metre display under the terms of its street trading licence, which the owners admitted they exceeded on the day of the fine.

However, after a number of Hanwell residents took to social media to express their anger at the Fixed Penalty Notice, Ealing Council “apologised and retracted the fine” on Monday (June 4).

Although the shop will no longer pay the fine, part owner Harold Ong said they may no longer display outside anymore because the licence fees are not worth it for just a one-metre display.

Speaking to getwestlondon , Mr Ong, 31, said: “I think the community is angry and disappointed about it. We're disappointed as well, because we thought we're doing a nice job and making the square look attractive.

“We're providing positive things to the area and people are really happy about it, we have had loads of compliments from residents saying the display brightens up the area.

“If we broke the rules, we broke the rules – but the council should really look at the bigger picture here because the real problem is behind the person giving us the fine, the street drinkers.

“That's the real concern of the community, not us.”

Harold Ong at the Floral Creations flower shop in Hanwell

Mr Ong, from Canada Water, suggested the store has “decided not to display anything else outside now” because there is “no point paying more than £130 a month for a one-metre display”.

Floral Creations, situated between an abandoned pub and a closed Dominos, is now having a clearance sale and is likely to lose out on trade as a result, Mr Ong claims.

He added: “I think there's always an exception to the rules – if we are providing something that brightens up the area, even if we broke the rules, the council should use their discretion or common sense in dealing with the matter.

“The council should be focusing more on stopping street drinkers targetting the area, the real issue here is not the plants. It's anti-social behaviour, muggings, rubbish.

"That's why the community has been so outraged.”

Floral Creations before receiving a fine from Ealing Council

After Floral Creations received a fine on Thursday, a solicitor is said to have written to the council on behalf of the florist along with two or three customers from the area.

Hanwell resident Liz Jenner said: “Feelings [are] running high about the state of the town overrun with drinkers, drug users and drug dealers.

“To target a business such as a flower shop who are on the front line up there on Hanwell Broadway is disgraceful and ill thought out.

“Sending enforcement should be to tackle the many problems up at that location, not pick and choose the easy targets that will pay up.”

Floral Creations is now having a clearance sale after receiving the fine

Melanie Dunning said the shop is “trading in a very challenging environment”, with “alcoholics and drug dealers” using the seats to the front and homeless people sleeping in the alleyway at the side.

The Hanwell resident added: “The staff in this shop are always sweeping the frontage to try and keep it as clean and tidy as they can under the circumstances. Their floral displays are both stunning and beautifully laid out. They should have been rewarded by the Council rather than penalised.

“Residents have been complaining to the authorities for years about the antisocial behaviour up on the Broadway and in the local parks but nothing has been done, to date.

“They can't issue these sorts of fines unless they are also seen to be tackling the other, more serious issues, affecting Hanwell Broadway, however difficult they may be.”

'We have listened to residents' concerns'

Speaking to getwestlondon on Monday, a council spokesman said: “The head of this service contacted Mr Winter today and following this conversation we have decided to cancel the Fixed Penalty Notice, even though the fine was legally valid.

“We took into account the fact that no complaints have been made about the display and we are satisfied that the flowers were not causing a hazard for passers-by at the time.

“We have reminded Mr Winter of the space he is able to use under his current licence and the steps he can take if he wants to apply for a larger display area.

“The efforts of local businesses to keep our public spaces litter-free is clearly something to be applauded and tackling antisocial behaviour across the borough continues to be a top priority for the council."

Floral Creations has a limited display outside on Tuesday (June 5)

He added: “We have listened to residents’ concerns about street drinking in Hanwell town centre and worked with both the police and the local community to identify persistent offenders - issuing them with injunctive orders to curb irresponsible behaviour.

"We are also looking into the possibility of a borough-wide public spaces protection order (PSPO) to improve the quality of life for all our residents.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy on dropping litter and have hit more than 3,700 local offenders with FPNs since the start of 2018, and successfully prosecuted 633 individuals last year.”