By Pam McClounie Carlisle north reporter

Last updated at 14:50, Friday, 25 January 2013

A notice, insisting the garden of a house in north Carlisle that is littered with rubbish, timber and overgrown bushes is tidied up, has been ignored.

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And the city council is about to take matters into its own hands.

The house on Briar Bank in Belah has been abandoned for 10 years – since its previous owner went into a care home – and the garden is now a dumping ground. It is partially boarded up and secure but the back boundary fence is missing.

The owners or occupiers of a building or land which is becoming an eyesore can legally be made to clean it up.

City councillors on the development control committee will discuss the matter at a meeting today.

It is estimated that it would cost almost £2,300 to cut back the vegetation, clean up the garden, remove the rubbish, hire a skip and build a new fence. The council says the money used to tidy up the gardens may be recovered following any subsequent sale of the property.

A report states: “The unsightly nature of the property is of concern to local residents. They have voiced their concern about the continuing deterioration of the property and in particular the state of the gardens.

“The current owner of the property (the son of the former owner) lives in Essex and to date has not responded to any correspondence asking him to tidy up the gardens.

“Environmental health officers have visited many times but have concluded there is little action that can be taken as there is no risk to health.”

The city council says there has been “no contact” from the owner and “no compliance” with a notice ordering that the garden be tidied up.

The recommendation is for the council’s Greenspaces team to tidy up the garden and to be granted authority to enter the land. No neighbours were available for comment when contacted by The Cumberland News.

First published at 14:20, Friday, 25 January 2013
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk