Council forces Tory leader to act after structure is atttached to wrong side of chimney

David Cameron has been forced to remove the wind turbine from his West London home because it was put up in the wrong place.

Planning permission had been granted for the turbine to be attached to the main chimney of the Conservative leader’s North Kensington home, but the structure ended up being attached on the wrong side of the chimney from that specified in the application.

Kensingston and Chelsea council reportedly warned of 'enforcement action' if the turbine remained where it was, so Cameron’s builders removed the turbine on Wednesday. It had been in place for less than a week.

A spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said: "We understand that contractors had some concerns about the chimney stack fixings not being able to cope with the wind loading caused by the turbine. We are confident the matter will be resolved."

Cameron’s decision to install a wind turbine has come to be a symbol for his dedication to environmental issues. It is not known whether the removal of the device will mean a corresponding dip in the opinion polls.