COURT CRACKDOWN ON PAIR WHO RUBBISHED - LITERALLY - GRIMSBY GARDEN

                                                                               

Magnet for vermin - rubbish strewn in the Hainton Avenue garden 

ARMCHAIRS, mattresses, a shopping trolley and a door - just some of the items from a heap of rubbish North East Lincolnshire Council enforcement officers had to have cleared from a Grimsby garden.

It cost the council £2,000 to remove the rubbish from the long-term empty property in Hainton Avenue.

Now owners Peter Reid (58) and Sara Short (55) , of  Redbourne, Gainsborough, have been hit with fines and court bills totalling £1,894 after ignoring legal warnings to clean up the mess.

Says a NELC spokesperson: "Following a complaint, an environmental enforcement officer visited the property on 25 November, 2020, and found rubbish including broken furniture, a tarpaulin, building materials, tree clippings and mattresses piled up in the garden.

The accumulation of waste was deemed to be a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Sec 79 (1) (e).

Officers sent an introductory warning letter on 4 December, 2020, followed by a legal notice on 22 December stating that the rubbish had to be removed within 28 days.

No attempt was made to clear up the mess and the Council arranged for the garden to be cleared by a private contractor in February, 2021, at a cost of £2,000.

The defendants failed to attend Grimsby Magistrates’ Court  and were found guilty in their absence.

The court fined them each £770, imposed a victim surcharge of £77, and ordered them to pay costs of £100, making a total of £947 each. The council can also begin the process to recover the cost of the clean-up.

Comments Cllr Ron Shepherd, NELC's portfolio holder for Safer and Stronger Communities: "This Hainton Avenue property was a compete eyesore. 

"A massive amount of waste had accumulated in the garden.

"It’s not fair on anyone living near the property to have to put up with such a nuisance.

"When properties are left in such a state, they can attract fly-tipping and other types of anti-social behaviour.

"Accumulations or build-up of rubbish and severely overgrown gardens can have a negative impact on the neighbourhood. It becomes a nuisance when it begins to smell, encourages vermin or is unsightly."

                                                    

It cost council £2,000 to clear up the mess