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Fuming mum ordered to remove 4ft gorilla statue attached to her house by council
Adele Teale, 58, erected the 4kg resin figure outside her two bedroom terraced home last year and it instantly became a popular feature with locals - but then she received a letter
A furious homeowner is battling her local council after being ordered to remove a four-foot-tall gorilla statue fixed to the front of her property. 'Gorilla-obsessed' Adele Teale, 58, installed the 4kg resin figure outside her two-bedroom terraced house last year, and it quickly became a beloved attraction among residents.
However, the mother-of-one has now been informed that her "cherished" gorilla - whom she's named Caesar - must be taken down by Wakefield Council as he is deemed "out-of-character with the surrounding area".
Adele said: "I just don't understand what the issue is. "He is nothing more than a garden ornament. "He is secure up there - he has been screwed and glued in place.
"The council says it's 'structural' but he can be taken down - I could put a Christmas tree up there if I wanted.
"I own the house, it's mine, so surely I can have whatever I want outside to decorate it.
"My neighbours don't have an issue with it and passers by stop to look and talk about it all the time.
"Kids love to come by to see Caesar."
Adele has revealed how Caesar was positioned outside her former home in Belle Isle, Leeds, Yorks. , for 15 years without any problems before she sold him when relocating to Stanley, Wakefield, Yorks., five years ago.
After purchasing him back for £600 in August last year, Adele reinstalled Caesar firmly onto a wooden platform between the two upstairs windows of her two-bedroom terraced property four months later in December. But on May 27 Adele received a letter from Wakefield Council Planning Services regarding a complaint that an "animal structure" had been built on her property.
In the letter the council "advised" that she take down Caesar due to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, suggesting she may have required planning permission to have built him.
It also said for Adele to contact the council within seven days regarding the matter so they could evaluate if she needed to send a retrospective planning application.
The mum said she tried to reach the council over phone on a number of occasions but claims she "never heard back".
An enforcement notice was then handed to Adele on July 10 2025 ordering her to remove Ceasar which she appealed a month later on August 11.
The notice said the statue is "not a minor decorative feature but is a prominent, eye-catching structure and is out of character with the surrounding area".
It goes on to claim it's an "obtrusive feature on the residential street" and "fails to respect the character and appearance of the surrounding area".
It also claims that as a planning application has not been submitted an assessment to determine if the benefits outweigh the harm to the greenbelt could not be made.
Though the council say that Caesar has "caused harm to the greenbelt" and "has made a negative effect on the areas landscape".
Adele, who works for Leeds City Council's passenger travel, said rejects the claim saying he is just a "garden ornament". Adele has also shared that she never faced any objections when she resided in Leeds.
The mum stated: "It was on the outside wall of my house for years and there wasn't ever any problem.
"I just really don't understand what the issue is now we've moved here."
She reminisced about acquiring her beloved gorilla statue: "I got him from a pet supplies store in 2005 - he just stood out to me, I just thought he was beautiful."
Her attachment to the statue was evident when she said: "I was gutted when I sold him so I called the lady who bought him back up two days later asking if I could be first in line to buy him back if she ever wanted to sell him."
Expressing her fondness for gorillas, she said: "I love gorillas, I think they're amazing and Caesar makes me smile - he makes me happy."
Adele, who lives with her husband Trevor and son Billy, mentioned that even the binmen have taken a liking to Caesar.
"They shout 'Save Caesar'."
She defended her choice of garden ornament, saying: "I think he looks amazing.
"I can't see what harm it's doing and I really don't want to take it down - it's just an ornament after all."
However, Joe Jenkinson, Wakefield Council's Service Director for Planning, Transportation and Strategic Highways, had a different perspective: "We appreciate that not everyone will agree, but under planning rules this is not classed as a minor decorative feature."
He added: "It's also out of character with the surrounding area. So, it requires planning permission."
Jenkinson clarified the current status of the situation: "As an appeal has already been made, the notice has not taken effect and will only do so if the appeal is dismissed."
Daily Star Sunday
Adele Teale, 58, erected the 4kg resin figure outside her two bedroom terraced home last year and it instantly became a popular feature with locals - but then she received a letter
A furious homeowner is battling her local council after being ordered to remove a four-foot-tall gorilla statue fixed to the front of her property. 'Gorilla-obsessed' Adele Teale, 58, installed the 4kg resin figure outside her two-bedroom terraced house last year, and it quickly became a beloved attraction among residents.
However, the mother-of-one has now been informed that her "cherished" gorilla - whom she's named Caesar - must be taken down by Wakefield Council as he is deemed "out-of-character with the surrounding area".
Adele said: "I just don't understand what the issue is. "He is nothing more than a garden ornament. "He is secure up there - he has been screwed and glued in place.
"The council says it's 'structural' but he can be taken down - I could put a Christmas tree up there if I wanted.
"I own the house, it's mine, so surely I can have whatever I want outside to decorate it.
"My neighbours don't have an issue with it and passers by stop to look and talk about it all the time.
"Kids love to come by to see Caesar."
Adele has revealed how Caesar was positioned outside her former home in Belle Isle, Leeds, Yorks. , for 15 years without any problems before she sold him when relocating to Stanley, Wakefield, Yorks., five years ago.
After purchasing him back for £600 in August last year, Adele reinstalled Caesar firmly onto a wooden platform between the two upstairs windows of her two-bedroom terraced property four months later in December. But on May 27 Adele received a letter from Wakefield Council Planning Services regarding a complaint that an "animal structure" had been built on her property.
In the letter the council "advised" that she take down Caesar due to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, suggesting she may have required planning permission to have built him.
It also said for Adele to contact the council within seven days regarding the matter so they could evaluate if she needed to send a retrospective planning application.
The mum said she tried to reach the council over phone on a number of occasions but claims she "never heard back".
An enforcement notice was then handed to Adele on July 10 2025 ordering her to remove Ceasar which she appealed a month later on August 11.
The notice said the statue is "not a minor decorative feature but is a prominent, eye-catching structure and is out of character with the surrounding area".
It goes on to claim it's an "obtrusive feature on the residential street" and "fails to respect the character and appearance of the surrounding area".
It also claims that as a planning application has not been submitted an assessment to determine if the benefits outweigh the harm to the greenbelt could not be made.
Though the council say that Caesar has "caused harm to the greenbelt" and "has made a negative effect on the areas landscape".
Adele, who works for Leeds City Council's passenger travel, said rejects the claim saying he is just a "garden ornament". Adele has also shared that she never faced any objections when she resided in Leeds.
The mum stated: "It was on the outside wall of my house for years and there wasn't ever any problem.
"I just really don't understand what the issue is now we've moved here."
She reminisced about acquiring her beloved gorilla statue: "I got him from a pet supplies store in 2005 - he just stood out to me, I just thought he was beautiful."
Her attachment to the statue was evident when she said: "I was gutted when I sold him so I called the lady who bought him back up two days later asking if I could be first in line to buy him back if she ever wanted to sell him."
Expressing her fondness for gorillas, she said: "I love gorillas, I think they're amazing and Caesar makes me smile - he makes me happy."
Adele, who lives with her husband Trevor and son Billy, mentioned that even the binmen have taken a liking to Caesar.
"They shout 'Save Caesar'."
She defended her choice of garden ornament, saying: "I think he looks amazing.
"I can't see what harm it's doing and I really don't want to take it down - it's just an ornament after all."
However, Joe Jenkinson, Wakefield Council's Service Director for Planning, Transportation and Strategic Highways, had a different perspective: "We appreciate that not everyone will agree, but under planning rules this is not classed as a minor decorative feature."
He added: "It's also out of character with the surrounding area. So, it requires planning permission."
Jenkinson clarified the current status of the situation: "As an appeal has already been made, the notice has not taken effect and will only do so if the appeal is dismissed."
Daily Star Sunday