Lollipop man stops walkers from using footpath — as colleague cuts the grass

A LOLLIPOP man stops walkers from using a footpath — as his colleague cuts the grass.

Ramblers were confronted by two bright red signs and the man in orange jacket and ear defenders.

BNPS

Walkers were asked to wait in case they got too close to the strimming[/caption]

They were asked to wait in case they got too close to the strimming and debris hit them.

But some decided not to bother hanging around for the sign to change and simply took a wider route around the work.

The bizarre scene was snapped by a local on a public footpath at the Cowdray Estate in Midhurst, West Sussex.

The resident, who did not want to be named, said: “They were strimming some areas.

“Health and safety has, in my opinion, on this occasion, gone a bit far with the stop-go lollipop.

“They would have had to stop strimming had I walked past but I took a different path.”

Dozens of people piled in to comment on the “ridiculous and absurd” picture posted online.

Barry Cartwright said: “This has got to be a wind-up — nobody that doesn’t live in a padded cell could dream this up.”

The Cowdray Estate is a country house and large estate in the South Downs National Park.

A spokeswoman said they were not behind the work but reckoned: “There’s very heavy foot traffic in that area and people let their dogs off their leads. If anything were to happen, they would be liable.”

West Sussex and Midhurst councils had no knowledge of the work. The Cowdray Estate was approached for comment.