Hammering in the windbreak is as much a part of the ceremony of the great British picnic as complaining about sand in the sandwiches and getting a soggy bottom.

But council officials in Bristol took exception to one family's attempts to shelter from the wind that often whirls around the Downs and ordered them to remove their windbreak because it was a "semi-permanent structure".

Jon Hacker was enjoying a day out with his wife, Claire, and daughters Sophie, 11, and Emily, eight, when they decided to hunker down behind their blue, green and yellow windbreak.

They were surprised when council officers drove across the Downs in a 4x4, told them they were breaking the law and ordered them to take it down.

Hacker, 41, said he was told the windbreak broke bylaws. "One of them asked who had erected the semi-permanent structure. I said: 'Are you talking about the windbreak?'

"He said that windbreaks weren't allowed due to the bylaws on the Downs. One of them gave me a leaflet about the bylaws and it said you weren't allowed to put up tents or a gazebo, but it didn't say anything about a windbreak.

"Both my family and I were shocked to be informed that we were breaking the law. I think they were being very strict."

To be honest there are portable gazebos as well. As long as it can be removed in a few minutes I would have thought common sense should prevail. Also as long as it does not impact on others.

It may have damaged the ecology of the area. Windbreaks are a series of stakes get driven into the ground - if enough people do this, then the area could be damaged by having the ground punctured to a point where it gets even more fragile.

I have no sympathy for the people with the windbreak. They clearly thought that it didn’t matter.

ffs its a windbreaker! Damaging the ecology of the area? Give me a break. Its a huge grass field not an area of scientific interest. Not only that but the reason the council officials asked them to take it down was due to some bylaw about building structures.

I'd have told them to get [LIFTED].

Damaging the environment? It is probably no more damaging than the driving across the Downs in a 4x4 that the council members did...

What's the problem here?

Some element of common sense is necessary.

Heavy handed extreme interpretation of a bylaw which potentially ruined a familys day out

One of them gave me a leaflet about the bylaws and it said you weren't allowed to put up tents or a gazebo, but it didn't say anything about a windbreak.

How do you know it's extreme?

A spokesman for Bristol city council apologised today and admitted its employees had been "overzealous".