Gorilla will be missed: Homeowner loses battle with council to keep four-foot tall plastic ape on the front of her house

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:55, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 11:59, 10 June 2026 A 'gorilla-mad' homeowner has lost a council planning row to keep a four-foot-tall ape installed on the front of her house. Adele Teale, 59, was ordered last month by Wakefield Council to remove the 4kg resin figure from outside her two-bedroom terraced home within four weeks, otherwise she would face legal action or a £20,000 fine. After an unsuccessful appeal to the Planning Inspectorate she has finally removed the ape - which she called Caesar - to comply with the enforcement notice. The mother-of-one, from Stanley in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said Caesar will soon be moving to Mayfair, London, where he will go on display inside a large store indefinitely. Ms Teale said: 'I can't believe all this fuss has been made over a plastic gorilla. 'Caesar is a landmark for the area, I was gutted to have to take him down. 'I feel better for doing so as the whole thing with the council has caused me a lot of stress. 'I love gorillas, I think they're amazing and Caesar makes me smile - he makes me happy.' Ban it of the apes: Homeowner Adele Teale was ordered by council bosses to take down a 4ft tall resin gorilla nicknamed Caesar which had been installed at the front of her house Ms Teale said she was 'gutted' to take down the gorilla, which has become a local landmark She explained Caesar had sat outside her previous home in Belle Isle, Leeds, for 15 years without issue before she sold him when she moved to Wakefield six years ago. But in August 2024 she decided to buy her beloved ape back for £600 and installed him on a wooden plinth between the first floor windows of her two-bed terraced house. Caesar remained in place between December and May 27 2025, when she received a letter from Wakefield Council planning services informing her the ape was 'out-of-character with the surrounding area'. An enforcement notice was then handed to Ms Teale on July 10, 2025 ordering her to remove Caesar. She launched an appeal but was told over email on May 12 of this year that the Planning Inspectorate upheld the enforcement notice and the ape required planning permission under the 1990 Act. The planning officer claimed that, following a visit to the house in April, Caesar 'constitutes' a 'development' due to its 'size, degree of permanence, and physical attachment' to her property. Joe Jenkinson, Wakefield Council's service director for planning, transportation and strategic highways, previously said: 'We appreciate that not everyone will agree, but under planning rules this is not classed as a minor decorative feature. 'It's also out of character with the surrounding area. So, it requires planning permission.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.