Nightmare neighbour who 'used garden as dump' kicked out of home

A nightmarish "house of horrors" that became an unofficial rubbish dump is set to be cleaned up after a tenant was kicked out. Neighbours put up with more than a year of misery caused by mound of waste outside a home in Peach Avenue, Stafford.

Appalled residents claimed the monstrosity attracted rats and caused health issues in children and slammed council chiefs for an alleged lack of action. But after the scene was publicised, Stafford Borough Council intervened and legally pursued the occupant, Steven Glover.

He was later ejected after the council won a three-month closure order from a court. It followed Glover's failure to act on a demand to clear the rubbish and return the front garden to its former condition. The order restricts any entrance to the home for three months, with exceptions for emergency services and council workers.

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Now a giant clean-up drive has begun with the festering waste including bricks, couches, mattresses, timber planks, fridges, and carpets. A nearby resident, who would not be named, said: "Everyone is breathing a huge sigh of relief but it's a joke it has taken this long."

"We've had rats in our house and trapped 13 so far. We've been here for 20 years and never had them before so we know it's down to that mess. I don't think its any coincidence this was sorted as soon as the council had bad publicity over it.

"But at least it looks to finally be over now but we'll believe it when we see it. It's a step in the right direction." Residents alleged Glover had been accumulating rubbish and incinerating it around-the-clock instead of taking it to a tip.

They said their lives were blighted by the 'foul-smelling' health risk, situated near a primary school. A mother-of-two said: "I first complained to the council last August and it has snowballed from there.

"In November they confirmed to me they didn't have a licence to do this, yet nothing was done. There are rats everywhere, it towers so high I don't know how it hasn't fallen over yet and it absolutely stinks.

"There's metal spilling out into the street, its not confined to the garden, I've lost count of how any cars have had their tyres punctured. It's not safe. It's a major health hazard and its been allowed to rot for a year. There's debris everywhere. He'll come out and smash glass."

"I'm so disheartened we've been left to live next to this without anyone seemingly wanting to help." The council said it would be charging the tenant to recoup the costs of the clean-up, expected to run to thousands of pounds.

Stafford environment boss Coun Ian Fordham said: "I hope this will bring an end to the misery this person has brought to the residents of Peach Avenue. It was crucial 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 - and 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."