Neighbour costs family £25,000 after complaining about smell of rescued animals

01 June 2024 , 17:06

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Geoff Grewcock and daughter Emma have over turned a council's abatement notice (Image: Emma Trimble / SWNS)

A nightmare neighbour who claimed rescued animals made “stomach churning odours” has cost a family more than £25,000.

Wildlife campaigners Geoff Grewcock, 74, and 41-year-old daughter Emma Hudson have created a safe haven for sick and injured animals such as foxes and badgers at their Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary. It is located behind Geoff's bungalow and also gives education to school children and community groups across the borough.

In 2022 the future of the sanctuary was at risk after Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council slapped them with an abatement order following three complaints. One nearby resident said she could smell "stomach-wrenching odours".

Geoff with Bramble the deer and his rescue dogs (Emma Trimble / SWNS)

Geoff and Emma were warned if their sanctuary continued to smell, they faced a £20,000 fine or even criminal prosecution. The father and daughter team paid £25,000 in legal fees to fight the abatement notice and this week their appeal was upheld by District Judge David Wain at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

Speaking afterwards, Emma said: “We are just ecstatic. We fought hard for something we believe in. We’re just little people and we took a whole council on. The council decided to investigate in 2021 and they performed what the district judge today called a complete investigation and that no nuisance was found. Subsequent investigations were carried out but were not complete and it was ruled that the odours, although unusual for a residential area, did not cause a nuisance.”

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During the appeal hearing this week, the council admitted it had monitored smells from the sanctuary for four days last year - but found no issues. The case was adjourned to July 9 to deal with the issue of costs.

Geoff says the council asked how many animals could be put to sleep in a day (Emma Trimble / SWNS)

Mr Grewcock told MailOnline: “The council made me feel like a complete criminal. It was quite horrendous. It has been a nightmare for us because we have always got on with all our neighbours. The council took her side and bullied us, despite having used our services for 20 years. The worst thing was when the council arrived with their notice and wanted to know how many animals we could put to sleep on that day.”

A council spokesperson said the authority accepted the decision but was disappointed by the judgement. The authority added it "has a statutory duty to carry out investigations in response to complaints received, and did so in this instance with utmost good faith".

Antony Clements-Thrower