In Logie Durno, in the council area of Aberdeenshire in northwest Scotland, local children, as they frequently do across the world, sometimes like to play soccer. 

Fields there (known as pitches across the pond) are available for just this use, but recently residents were startled to find that a bunch of fruit trees had been planted on one of them, directly between two sets of goal posts. 

All of which prompted a few ridiculous-looking pictures (like the one you see above) to spread across social media.

The trees had been planted by the Aberdeenshire Council, in what they told the BBC was part of a “biodiversity” initiative. 

But they did so apparently without consulting locals, who were confused and angry. 

“Unless Aberdeenshire Council has added the trees for extra dribbling practice, I think it’s ridiculous,” a community worker told the Evening Express. “It’s so strange, I just can’t understand the thinking behind it—especially plonking them right in the pitch.”

A spokeswoman for the council said that they would consult with the community on where to go from here, while offering a seemingly very British apology. 

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused,” she said.