Milton Keynes village retains the original common and church
Residents who have looked after their village pond and surrounding common for the past four years have been told by a council to stop.
Milton Keynes Village gave its name to the new town and residents took over when the pond became neglected.
Dr Bob Ranger, one of the villagers, said they took over with full agreement of the council and offers of payment.
Milton Keynes Council said it took back maintenance because of concerns for resident safety and a colony of newts.
Dr Ranger said: "We took over maintenance of the common and pond with full agreement of the then head of environmental services who offered us money and machinery to help."
However last month, four years after they began the maintenance, the council changed its mind.
'Duty of wellbeing'
"At a meeting I was told by a councillor, John Bint, the council was taking back responsibility for health and safety reasons," said Dr Ranger.
This had not been mentioned in a letter sent by the council, which said there were protected newts in the area.
The council's decision came after residents asked for financial help to maintain the area.
A letter said: "The council wrote to a representative of the local residents in May 2013 in response to correspondence.
"We thanked them for their previous efforts to maintain Dell Pond and proposed that the council takes full responsibility for all maintenance."
Dr Ranger has written several times to the council to set up a meeting to discuss the situation as residents wanted to help keep the common tidy but he has had no response.
In his letter to the residents John Pryor, of the council, said: "I do not believe that you should have to make any physical intervention at your own expense but the authority acting on its own behalf and that of the parish council should meet its duty of wellbeing for the community."
