Couple dumped food, rubbish and furniture in garden leaving 'foul smell' in air

06 February 2023 , 19:00

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Thomas Bell and Helen Milburn chucked piles of food waste, household rubbish and furniture in the rear yard (Image: North News & Pictures Ltd nort)

A couple have been fined more than £800 for an "eyesore" and "foul smelling" rubbish dump in their own back garden.

Thomas Bell and Helen Milburn chucked piles of food waste, household rubbish and furniture in the rear yard of their rented property in Darlington..

Horrified neighbours reported the issues to Darlington Borough Council after becoming fed up of the 'strong foul smell' coming from the yard.

Now, the pair have appeared at Peterlee Magistrates' Court after ignoring a number of written warnings and a community protection notice.

As Bell and Milburn failed to clear their yard and continued to fill it with junk, they have now been ordered to pay over £800, reports Stoke-on-Trent Live.

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Magistrates found the pair guilty of failing to comply with Section 48 of the Anti-social, Crime and Policing Act 2014 by not removing the unhygienic waste in a timely and proper manner. Both individuals were fined £220 and they were ordered to pay costs of £408 and a victim surcharge.

The couple refused to clear up their mess despite warnings (North News & Pictures Ltd nort)

The site has since been cleared by the council and the cost of the work has been recovered through the court action.

A Darlington councillor hit out at the pair and called their decision to ignore the requests to remove the rubbish left the council with 'no option but to prosecute'.

Jamie Bartch, cabinet member for economy, said: “Rubbish and household waste needs to be disposed of regularly in a proper and hygienic manner, because otherwise we end up with a situation like this where it builds up in gardens or yards.

"Rubbish dumped outside encourages vermin, smells and flies, as well as being an eyesore and having a negative impact on neighbours and the local community.

“We offer a range of services to dispose of refuse but in this case repeated requests to remove the refuse were ignored and fixed penalty notices not paid leaving us with no option but to prosecute and arrange for the refuse to be cleared and the costs recovered.”

Miriam Goodman