The national joke which has become health and safety added a few more comic lines in the past week or so, like the council which has banned people putting flowers on their loved ones’ graves because a cemetery worker cut his knee on a broken flower pot.

Sometimes, you just gotta laugh, but at others, you might feel closer to tears for when ambulance chasing lawyers put the bite on spineless bureaucrats, the general public can begin to lose ancient and almost priceless rights.

Like, for instance, a walk in the woods. Or a stroll round the garden.

In 2012, a New Zealand visitor to Britain was killed by a falling branch from a tree in London’s world famous Kew Gardens, a tragedy that sent a chill down the spines of some of the nation’s famous stately garden owners. These included none other than the National Trust, which had suffered from costly litigation in two different cases when two young boys were killed by falling trees in a ten-year period.

All three events happened in gale force winds.

One case was thrown out of court, the second was under consideration for more than four years before the Health and Safety Executive decided not to proceed with court action.

Now I am in no way making light of three tragedies but, alas, terrible things do happen from time to time: most people have lost friends or relatives in accidents and have learned that life must go on.

Unfortunately, the ‘elf and safety fanatics began to take an interest and, as a result, the owner of many stately gardens open to the public – one of the many jewelled wonders of the English country crown– have adopted an “over protective health and safety culture”.

These are the words of academic David Ball, professor of risk management at Middlesex University, who says that gardens and forests are being closed to the public if bad weather threatens and some stately home owners are having old and precious trees felled just in case they fall on some visitor bringing the legal eagles – or should I say vultures? – rushing to the scene.

Now as someone who has spent many decades out and about in the countryside, I have managed to avoid excessive risk by not wading in swollen rivers whilst fly fishing or sheltering under trees in lightening storms or gales. We all know, or should know, that life cannot be lived without some risk.

The Coalition Government promised a “bonfire of the quangos” when they came to power. I am still waiting but the first log I would chuck on would be the Health and Safety Executive. It could easily be replaced by one of our oldest and best run charities, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents .

RoSPA was formed to ensure that factory machinery had proper guards at a time when men in factories and women mill workers were being crippled in their multitudes.

It is still going strong almost 100 years later and, as well as vast experience, it also possesses that one vital characteristic missing elsewhere: old fashioned common sense.