Closure order granted and clean-up started at Stafford home where front garden was used as tip
A front garden that was strewn with a mountain of rubbish is now being cleaned up after Stafford Borough Council secured a court order against the resident.
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No-one is allowed to enter the Peach Avenue property for the next three months, except for emergency services or staff or representatives of the council, after the tenant, Steven Glover, failed to comply with a notice ordering him to remove the waste and clear up the garden to its previous state.
Stafford Borough Council was granted a closure order by magistrates on Friday (November 8).
And this week work began to remove the piles of debris, which include furniture, rubble and wooden panels, from the property.
Angry neighbours have spoken out about the eyesore.
They said the mess had been left to fester for more than a year, and was attracting rats and causing health issues for their children.
The issue hit headlines locally, nationally and even across the pond in America.
But now the borough council is overseeing the big clean-up and has said they will be billing the tenant to recover the costs of the work, which is expected to run into thousands of pounds.
Councillor Ian Fordham, cabinet member for environment, said: “I hope this will bring an end to the misery this person has brought to the residents of Peach Avenue.
"It was crucial that we had the proper legal process in place to not only get this unsightly mess removed, but to ensure it did not happen on this land again.
“We have secured a Closure Order from the courts that bans anyone, including the tenant, from stepping foot on the property. If they do they can be arrested.
“We have arranged for the house to be boarded up and for this significant amount of rubbish to be removed. We will be billing the tenant or owner for the cost of doing that.
“We will be working with the owner to make sure the house can be brought back into use and become a positive addition to the street. Thank you to the police and other partners for their help in making sure we get the right outcome for the neighbours and we will work with residents to address any ongoing concerns they may have.”
