October 10, 2018 11.22 am This story is over 65 months old

A minefield of poo! Scunthorpe resident fined for garden dump

A significant health risk to her and her neighbours

The collection of dog faeces in the garden of Ms Cox

A Scunthorpe resident has been prosecuted by North Lincolnshire Council for mounting piles of dog poo and household waste in her garden.

Danielle Cox, of Burke Street, Scunthorpe, was found to have over 50 piles of dog poo and 30 black bags of rubbish in her garden by a passing Environmental Health Officer on patrol.

The officer left Ms Cox with a calling card asking her to clear the rubbish and dog mess but found the mess was still there when they returned on January 29.

Ms Cox was served with two abatement notices ordering her to remove the waste and the dog poo after her garden was deemed to be a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act.

Ms Cox initially removed the mess, however when officers returned in March 2018, they found a further 30 piles of dog faeces in her garden and a further 14 in April.

Piles of waste built up in the garden.

On August 17 at Grimsby Magistrates Court, Ms Cox was found guilty in her absence of breaching her abatement notice. She was fined £100 for each of the two offences, £195.33 investigation costs, £200 costs and a £30 victim surcharge – a fine totalling £625.33.

Councillor Ralph Ogg from Safer, Greener and Cleaner Places said: “Letting rotting waste and faeces pile up in your garden will not only look and smell disgusting but it could pose a real risk to yours and your neighbours’ health.

“The council wrote to Ms Cox on a number of occasions to ask her to clear the waste and tell her she was breaching her abatement notice but she refused to engage with us.

“We all want to live in a clean and safe environment and it’s unacceptable to let waste build up in your garden like this.”

If you’re concerned about a build-up of waste in your area that you think might be a health hazard, contact Environmental health at [email protected].