Stressed Jean, 83, is making a stand against housing association in Leighton Buzzard

Jean Allsopp, 83, has lived at her address for 13 years and to make it homely, she has placed the items outside her door in the hallway.

But housing association The Guinness Partnership have now ordered Mrs Allsopp to get rid of the items for health and safety reasons.

“I’ve lived here all of these years and it’s never been a problem until now,” she said.

“My younger sister lived for 11 years in the flat opposite to me until she died. I don’t want to move, but I also don’t want to live out the rest of my life being victimised.”

Mrs Allsopp claims her landlords The Guinness Partnership have reacted heavy-handedly over minor infringements within the past four years, including taking in a former neighbour’s cat and putting up a banner for her grandson’s 18th birthday.

And the latest health and safety order is the last straw.

She said: “I feel I don’t want to live here anymore, it seems they’re always on my back and won’t let me live in peace.

“I’ve been in touch with the local authority to look into private renting. My family are worried because private renting can be a bit precarious.

“It’s odd to get to my age and suddenly start having these problems. I feel I’m a very good tenant and never had any issues until four years ago.”

A Guinness spokesman said: “Ensuring the safety of all our residents is our highest priority and it’s important that building exits are kept clear at all times. While we understand that our residents want to personalise their homes, a recent fire risk assessment identified that items placed outside Mrs Allsopp’s front door could be a hazard, particularly if people were trying to leave the building in an emergency. We have therefore asked her to remove them to ensure the safety of all the residents.”