Ivy house owner may now face daily fines
The owner of an ivy-covered house which is ruining the outlook of a pleasant Staffordshire cul-de-sac has failed to comply with a court order to clean up the property – and could now face a daily fine.
Kenneth Mould was given 28 days to remove the ivy which obliterates the front of his house in Swallow Close, Rugeley, when he appeared before magistrates.
He was also told to remove other vegetation from his front and back gardens because they had grown wild and spoilt the appearance of the neighbourhood.
Mr Mould paid the £1,000 fine and £300 costs imposed by the court but has carried out none of the work at his property within the allotted period.
Cannock Chase Council's enforcement officer visited the site to check whether he had complied with the notice.
They found the roof and first-floor windows of the three-bedroomed semi still totally hidden under a thick covering of ivy while the front garden remains dominated by several large coniferous trees and a bush grows out of the garage roof at the back.
The authority is now considering its next step. However a resident of Swallow Close, who did not want to be named, claimed 60-year-old Mr Mould's home had been overgrown for years.
"The house has been a sight for a long time, although it's got worse in recent years," she said.
The prosecution was brought by Cannock Chase Council who said the house was visually detrimental to neighbouring properties and the overall appearance of the area.
The problem first came to their attention in 2010. The council served a notice at the time and Mr Mould, who lives in the house with his partner, did "just about enough" to comply with it.
Development control manager Mazer Aqbal said the court could fine the householder on a daily basis until he carried out the remedial work.
Mr Mould did not appear at the Stafford Magistrates' Court hearing on February 6 and was not available for comment today.
Mr Aqbal said: "The council cannot fine the owner.
"However, we could go back to the magistrates court and make a request for a daily fine to be imposed on the owner until the necessary works are completed.
"The magistrates would decide whether or not to impose a fine and at what level."
