A couple have been told they can keep a very special garden ornament - their totem pole.

Bob and Anne Peterson, of New High Street, Headington, Oxford, planted the 21ft-high, 400lb structure in their garden a year ago. A replica of a Canadian totem pole, the wooden post made up of 44 individual figures was eye-catching enough for someone to notify the planning department.

Bob Peterson and his totem pole

The couple were then asked to apply retrospectively for planning permission and it was granted by Oxford City Council's planning committee.

The committee chairman, John Goddard, said neighbours approved of the totem pole, which is clearly visible to residents living in Bateman Street. He added that there was no reason why planning permission should not be given. It was granted on condition the pole is kept in a clean and tidy condition.

If Mr and Mrs Peterson, both headteachers, move out, they are likely to be asked to take the ornament with them.

Mrs Peterson's father, Ted Kubbinga, took three years to carve the pole and it was shipped over from his home in Toronto as a piece of art for the new Millennium.

After the planning meeting, Mr Peterson said: "We are really pleased indeed. Many of the neighbours have really supported it. I'm very grateful to them and very pleased for my father-in-law who carved it, and all the people who were involved in putting it up."

There is a precedent for unusual landmarks in the area: the totem pole is just a short distance away from the famous shark embedded in the roof of the home of BBC Radio Oxford presenter, Bill Heine.