Help, neighbour has unsightly piles!!

jimbob_3

hi,

im not sure if this is the right place but it probably affects the property value, so hopefully it is.

My mothers neighbour has lots of 6ft + piles of wood in his garden, some in the back and one in the front. Recently a large metal pole blew off one of the piles at the back and damamged her greenhouse and some shrubs - fortunately she was not in the garden at the time.

In the back garden there is a tall hedge, but some piles are higher than ther hedge hence the pole coming over.

However in the front there is a large pile about 6ft from my mothers front door(although it is in the neighbours garden) and because her door open sideways, it is the first thing she sees when she opens the door.

Last year some rats came into her garden, presumably from the piles at the back and she mentioned it to the council who visited and the situation improved for a while but now the piles have returned.

She gets on well with her neighbour, but he doesnt do anything about her request to not have the piles in the front garden or so high in the back garden.

Does anybody have any suggestions as to what to do next?

Thanks

silvercar

Had to laugh, first I was going to recommend Anusol, then talk about underpinning!

Don't think there is much you can do really, her garden, her piles. No statutory rights to decent views. Unless the rats revisit, I doubt the council will be interested.

BT_man

She could alway's have an "accidental" bonfire...

clutton_2

does the neighbour know she has rats ? he may be more amenabel to move them if he does know

HugoSP

If there are rats then you have some clout under Environmental Health. However, if she is just ruining your view then you haven't got a prayer.

TJ27

I dealt with just this sort of issue for about six months but haven't handled accumulations issues for a little while now.

If the rubbish is likely to attract or harbour vermin then the council is able to serve a Section 4 notice under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act. This will require that the rubbish is cleared. If it's inert waste this might be unlikely though, it typically applies to black bags which have been torn open and left to fester.

There are planning laws which may enable you to get rid of the rubbish but in my experience most councils seem reluctant to use them. I don't remember the exact terminology but basically if the rubbish severely affects the general look of the neighbourhood, the council can serve a notice. The unofficial test is termed the "FM" test. In other words, if you walk past the property and think "f**k me", a notice can be served.

You will need all your powers of persuasion to get the council to have a look, and even then little may be done, but good luck anyway. (It might be a good idea to say that you've seen loads of rats, whether you have or haven't. I'm sure that's what people always used to say to me anyway!)

BobProperty

TJ27 wrote:

.......The unofficial test is termed the "FM" test. In other words, if you walk past the property and think "f**k me", a notice can be served.......

Thanks for giving me a laugh this morning. I think the test should be re-named after this man : http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,805110,00.html

My question would be (would - get it?) what is the neighbour intending to do with all this wood? Is this a rural location where wood burning is allowed? Is the neighbour planning on doing some woodworking project and is merely seasoning / drying the wood before use? (albeit possibly wrongly) What sort of wood is it? If it is good stuff we can send woodbutcher round to "re-claim" it and turn it into something useful.:D