Ernie Ashley said he ‘can’t understand’ why he has been instructed to remove the tribute
A lifelong Liverpool supporter says he is ‘sad and disappointed’ after he was told the Bill Shankly plaque he has outside his front door must be taken down. Season ticket holder Ernie Ashley says he touches the decoration, which he purchased while in the Gambia, before he goes to Anfield every home game.
But Ernie has been told the plaque, which says, ‘One of Bill Shankly’s disciples lives here’ goes against building safety regulations by his landlord Riverside, which owns the block of flats in Woolton where Ernie lives.
In February, 81-year-old Ernie went to the Gambia to see family and friends, where he bought the ornament, which was apparently carved into wood taken from a 300-year-old tree. He told the ECHO: “When I visit the Gambia I always have a look around the craft market, and see various things getting made.
“On the last visit to the craft market, I asked the man to make a plaque with the wording, ‘One of Bill Shankly’s disciples lives here’. The tree which it was carved from was 300 years old, the man said.”
Ernie met Bill Shankly on numerous occasions however, the most memorable encounter came after Shankly’s final game as manager in 1974 when the Reds defeated Newcastle 3 – 0 to win the FA Cup. Ernie was in the crowd at Wembley and decided to commemorate the triumph by running onto the pitch to kneel before Shankly and kiss his shoes.
Pleased with the plaque made in tribute to his idol, Ernie decided to hang it outside his flat, next to his front door. He continued: “I was made up with the job he had done of my lifelong hero, the great Bill Shankly. When home, I asked a friend to put it on the wall next to the front door.
“One day, after coming back from a walk and there was a card from Riverside, the housing trust, telling me to remove it by May 14 or they would remove it.
“When they told me to take it down, I was sad and annoyed – the man who made it had gone to a lot of trouble. I’ve got other plaques up; I don’t go overboard but I’ve got a couple of wooden ones, but it’s just this particular one. It’s not oversized, it’s not on the floor, so I can’t understand it.”
Riverside said that, while it appreciated Ernie is upset, it had a zero-tolerance approach to resident items in common areas, which the wall outside his flat is technically classed as. As it has not installed the item, the housing association says it cannot guarantee it will not fall down and cause harm or damage to other residents and their visitors.
After Ernie read the letter instructing him to remove the plaque, he phoned Riverside immediately. He continued: “I was right on the phone with them. They said it was to minimise the risk of fire and I told them I have lived in my leasehold flat for over 50 years.”
A spokesperson for Riverside said: “We appreciate Mr Ashley is upset at being asked to remove a football plaque he has installed within a communal space of the high-rise block of flats he resides in.
“As this building is registered with the Building Safety Regulator due to its height and for the safety of our customers, we adopt a zero-tolerance approach to customer items in common areas.
“This is standard across all Riverside apartment blocks, were we ask for communal areas (e.g. stairways, corridors and hallways) to remain sterile and free from obstructions or combustible items to ensure safe and quick exit in the event of emergencies.
“Mr Ashley is welcome to install the plaque inside his flat and a member of the team will reach out to provide this reassurance, but to ensure the safety of everyone within the 79-flat complex, it cannot remain in the common area where it is currently installed.”
