Alan Titchmarsh pleads with gardeners to avoid one job on Sundays

TV gardening icon Alan Titchmarsh has issued a heartfelt plea to the nation. He has urged British gardeners to refrain from mowing their lawns on Sundays.

At 75 years old, Alan became a household name through the BBC hit shows Gardeners' World, Pebble Mill and Ground Force, where he starred alongside Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh. He is still sharing his green-fingered wisdom on ITV's Love Your Garden.

In a bid to preserve the tranquillity of British weekends, Alan has specifically asked gardeners to avoid using power tools such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and strimmers on Sunday mornings. He even suggests that during May, lawns shouldn't be mowed at all.

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Writing in the BBC Gardeners' World magazine, Alan lamented the scarcity of silence in our gardens, stating: "It's clear to me the rarest thing in any garden is silence. It appears to be the one commodity money can't buy."

He expressed concern about coming across as sanctimonious but explained his personal stance: "I was worried I would sound holier-than-thou when I explained that I never use power tools on a Sunday."

Alan strongly believes in the importance of having one day of the week dedicated to peace and quiet in our outdoor spaces: "I believe profoundly there should be at least one day in the week when we could go out into our gardens and experience a bit of peace and quiet."

He also noted the growing interest among people in natural sounds like birdsong and the rustling of trees, arguing that the noise from even modern electric garden tools can disrupt this connection with nature, reports the Express.

Regulations regarding power tool usage typically apply to construction rather than domestic gardening. Construction sites are indeed prohibited from using such tools on Sundays, with work restricted to specific hours during the week and Saturday mornings, lending weight to Alan's argument.

Many local councils also state that DIY noise at home should only be carried out between Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, and to undertake DIY outside these hours may well constitute antisocial behaviour.

No Mow May is an event every year which asks garden and green space owners not to cut the grass or mow the lawn for at least the month of May. This is because vital pollinators use the grass, and its wildflowers like daisies and buttercups, to feed at this time of year and in turn, feed the birds and the food chain.

With insect numbers down by as much as 60 per cent in the last 20 years, garden owners are being asked to do their bit to help this month.