They can't put up a fence, so instead, it's potty time

Toilets and brushes make a statement in suburban Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- A suburban couple hoping to make a point to local authorities has created a backyard display of 15 toilets and dozens of toilet brushes.
Robin Sutton and Allen Lade put the commodes in plain view eight months ago after local authorities said they couldn't build a privacy fence in the yard.
The open toilets, most donated by friends who are plumbers, are filled with plastic flowers; a plastic skeleton sits on one. The toilet brushes stick up from the ground and are painted purple, green, blue, brown and white.
The bowls and brushes on the corner lot in Anderson Township, just east of Cincinnati, have attracted the attention of many motorists, who often honk as they drive by.
"It's colorful. It's bright. It's humorous. It's pointed," Lade said.
The couple sought to build the 6-foot-high cedar fence so their grandchildren could play safely in the yard.
Not allowed
The township's board of zoning appeals said the fence would be too visually imposing.
Since then, Sutton and Lade installed the toilets where their fence would have been. The skeleton was added in for Halloween and, for Christmas, they added 2,800 lights.
"It's fun," Sutton said. "But it's also a reminder of basic property rights. It shows the absurdity of being told you can't put up a fence."
Township zoning rules require that a fence at the home be at least 45 feet from the street, so the couple asked for a variance.
They said most neighbors and township development staff supported the request but the board refused.
Paul Drury, the township's assistant director of development services, said residents sometimes call with questions about the toilet display.
It's not illegal
"Most of them are inquiries about why they're allowed to do that," he said. "We haven't found any zoning violations."
Neighbor Rege Gruendl called the toilet display "goofy."
"I think they should give up," he said. "They've gone overboard."
Other neighbors don't mind.
"We get a laugh out of it," said Susan Newell.
"It doesn't bother me in the least," added Carl Moorehouse. "They've had a lot of fun doing it."