THE padlock to a community orchard in Camelford has been removed after residents protested the decision.

A spokesperson said: “As you may have already been aware, Camelford Town Council (CTC) recently made the decision to place a padlock on the gate to the community orchard to protect the harvest until it was ripe for picking.

“This decision was made with the best of intentions, as CTC planned to make clear the dates when the padlock would be removed so that members of the community would have equal opportunities to pick the ripe fruit.

“However, having seen comments circulating on social media, having had face-to-face chats with members of the public and having received various emails, CTC have agreed to reverse the decision and will be removing the padlock.”