Sponsored by
Christmas lights spark race rumpus
A MUM says she was left stunned after a housing officer suggested her Christmas decorations might offend her Bengali neighbours.
Dot Glenn thought a South Tyneside Homes employee was inspecting her guttering when she saw him looking at her house.
However, after approaching him, she says the man asked if she thought she was being racist by displaying festive lights on a mixed-race estate.
Although she didn't make a formal complaint, South Tyneside Homes has promised to investigate and apologised for any upset caused.
The 41-year-old, of Anderson Street, on the Woodbine Estate in South Shields, said: "I've been putting my lights up for the last four years now and not had a bit of bother.
"It wasn't until after he went that I thought about what he'd said, and I felt really hurt and upset."
The mother of three then contacted her neighbours and visited the Apna Ghar ethnic minority women's centre in nearby Ocean Road to check they weren't offended by her decorations, which include giant snowmen and a Santa Claus.
She said they all told her they had no objections and she shouldn't feel she had to remove them. Mrs Glenn added: "It's a complete joke. He's picked on the worst person to brand a racist.
"My daughter is half-Arab, and I have lots of family members who are mixed race, so he couldn't have been any further from the truth."
Mrs Glenn received an apology from another South Tyneside Homes employee yesterday.
She said: "A lady came to my door and I had to sign to say I'd received the apology, but I said it shouldn't have been her who had to give it."
She added: "Nobody should be able to tell anyone how they can celebrate
Christmas."
A spokesman for South Tyneside Homes said: "We would like to make it clear that South Tyneside Homes is happy for residents to put up Christmas lights to decorate their homes.
"Christmas lights bring a bit of festive cheer to everybody, and we are delighted to see examples of tenants and leaseholders across the borough taking so much pride in the appearance of their homes."
He added: "We have received no complaint about this alleged incident, but are investigating the matter now that it has been brought to our attention, and apologise for any upset this may have caused."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for South Shields
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
