Bad neighbour slapped with £1.5k fine for garden piled with rubbish and dog mess

A Lincoln man has been ordered to pay almost £1,500 for allowing his garden to become so buried in rubbish and dog faeces that his neighbours couldn’t open windows and doors due to the stench.

Oliver Mountain, of Claremont Street, Lincoln allowed an accumulation of domestic waste, dog faeces and items of furniture to build up in both the front and rear gardens of a property he was renting in Anderby Drive over a period of several months.

The smell and flies attracted by the rubbish was such that neighbours couldn’t leave their windows or doors open, or enjoy using their own gardens.

Following reports from neighbours, City of Lincoln Council served a notice on Mountain in June last year, requiring him to take the rubbish to an approved tip within 14 days, but he failed to do so.

At a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, February 8, Mountain was found guilty in his absence and given a £300 fine. He was also ordered to pay £200 costs, a £30 victims’ surcharge and £907.94 to cover the costs of cleaning up the rubbish – a total of £1,437,94.

Sam Barstow, Service Manager for Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour at the city council, said: “This is a really positive result, showing that the courts recognise the need to protect the environment for local people.

“When waste accumulates in this way, not only is it unpleasant for those living nearby, due to smells and the sight of it, but it is also likely to attract flies, rats and other pests.

“Mr Mountain had numerous opportunities to remove the waste but failed to do so. We would urge people to work with us in these circumstances as failure to do so is likely to result in further action, to protect those living nearby.”

The city council first received a complaint about the property at Anderby Drive in March 2016. An officer contacted Mountain advising him to remove the rubbish and confirming the refuse collection days for the area.

However, further complaints of bags of dog fouling being left outside the back of the property were received in May and June.

An officer visited the property in June 2016 and advised the amount of dog fouling and rubbish was likely to attract vermin and was a risk to public health. In addition, it was enough to affect neighbouring properties. The notice was served on 20 June 2016.

A follow up visit in July showed Mountain had failed to comply with the notice and the council arranged for the waste to be removed.

A letter and invoice requesting payment from the tenant was delivered in August 2016 but was not paid.