'Council took my elephant slide - I want it back'

The 20ft-long, 8ft- tall elephant slide was in Trevor Robinson's driveway

A man says he will pay "whatever it takes" to have a 20ft (6.1m) long fibreglass elephant returned to his home after a council removed it from his driveway over safety fears.

Trevor Robinson is pleading with Medway Council to get the former children's waterslide back after he asked contractors removing it from a park to bring it to his home.

Neighbours have praised the council for removing the multi-coloured "monstrosity" amid safety concerns, adding they were pleased it had "gone to the great elephant graveyard in the sky".

Mr Robinson, who dubbed the elephant "Ellie", took delivery of the 8ft (2.4m) tall structure to Romany Road, Gillingham saying he was "over the moon" with it.

The elephant, which had previously been used as a children's waterslide in Gillingham's Strand Park, had been destined for landfill after being deemed unsafe.

Trevor Robinson says he will pay "whatever it takes" to get the elephant slide back from Medway Council

Mr Robinson said: "It was like a toy, like a pet. It was going to be the crowning glory of all my little toys in the back garden, the centrepiece.

"She was going to be here on my lawn, and I was going to build a little pond, so you could slide down it into the water.

"I was even going to let all the kids come in, with their parents obviously, and use it. But before I could arrange it, the council said 'no, it's got to go'."

'What on earth?'

Medway Council said it arranged to retrieve the slide from Mr Robinson following complaints.

Next door neighbour Shirley Daniel told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "When it arrived, we just thought 'what on earth is he doing now?'"

The slide was removed by Medway Council after complaints from neighbours

Ms Daniel said: "We couldn't get permission for a 6ft shed in our front garden, never mind a 20-foot-long elephant."

Speaking just days after the slide was removed, Mr Robinson said was hopeful that would not be the end of the matter, saying he would pay big money for Ellie's return.

He said: "If I could speak to the council, I'd say 'please give me it back, it's such a novelty thing, everybody loved it'.

"She wasn't doing any harm, was she? Just sitting there, it's such a shame.

"Whatever it costs to get it back and get it in there, I'd pay it. I mean that."