Sir Cliff Richard Forced To Tear Down Conservatory

Sir Cliff Richard has been ordered to bulldoze down his beloved $45,000 (£30,000) conservatory - because he built it without planning permission.

The legendary British singer was so pleased with the extension at his Surrey, U.K. property that he wrote a letter of thanks to the company that constructed it three years ago.

But the star has been left devastated after the local council's planning committee ruled it should never have been erected in the first place. Initially, Richard was reportedly told official authorisation would not be required - but he later applied for retrospective planning permission at the $4.9 million (£3 million) mansion.

But the committee insisted the conservatory is a "disproportionate addition" to the original building and that the floor area shouldn't have extended more than 30 per cent.

Richard is due to meet with building chiefs on Wednesday to discuss the decision.

FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison