Waste pile set to remain for weeks in Brighton garden

3:00pm Thursday 12th April 2012 in News

A mountain of waste will remain in a city garden for weeks to come.

After a series of complaints from neighbours, Brighton and Hove City Council gave Olive Taylor a month to clear the rubbish and recycling outside her home, adding it was posing a health risk.

But with the deadline passed and the local authority’s contractors ready to move in, the 87-year-old, of Evelyn Terrace, Brighton, has now secured an extra eight weeks to put the front garden in order.

Miss Taylor, who has raised thousands of pounds for charity by recycling tin cans, told The Argus yesterday: “It’s all recycling, I do not keep rubbish.

“The council took me to court in 2003. The court told the council then they were never to bring me back to court again about recycling.

“I don’t think they are coming tomorrow. I’ve paid £80 for an extension. I’ve had a friend around who has helped me tidy up some of it.”

The Argus exclusively broke the story about Miss Taylor last month after the local authority obtained a court order.

The council, which owns the three-bedroom home she has lived in for nearly 80 years, said she had broken the rules of her lease and that she had rejected offers from community groups to tidy the garden for her.

The deadline given was April 10.

Despite some of the piles being tidied up, the council yesterday said its contractors were ready to go into the garden today.

But within hours the local authority had done an about turn, saying an application for an extension had been submitted to Brighton County Court.

A council spokesman said: “The clearance has been cancelled. Miss Taylor has been awarded a stay of execution for eight weeks and so enforcement action is now on hold. The council will continue to offer support to Miss Taylor to encourage her to comply with the terms of the possession order herself.”

The local authority did not provide details of how much the action had cost so far.

However it did state that if the area was not cleared by the time the revised order expired, it would recover any costs of clearance from Miss Taylor.

It added it would do everything possible to avoid evicting her from the property.

Council leader Bill Randall said: “We have made every effort to work with Miss Taylor to encourage her to be a good neighbour and keep her garden tidy. This has included offers of help from volunteers from the Neighbourhood Care Scheme.

“Unfortunately she has refused all offers of help and we are left with no alternative but to get the necessary court order to get the garden cleared.”

Comments(15)

Chiquila says...
3:14pm Thu 12 Apr 12

argus why are you trying to stir things up? the woman has explained that she's sorting it why are you trying to antagonise the situation? Daily Mail eat your heart out. Pretty poor show towards an 87 year old woman, whoever wrote this should really be ashamed.

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Hard times says...
4:36pm Thu 12 Apr 12

I hope the council donate that £80 to the charity that these tin cans were destined for. I doubt it very much though.

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Hector66 says...
4:38pm Thu 12 Apr 12

"The Argus exclusively broke the story...."

Gosh. What a scoop. I am sure it was followed up by other papers across the land.

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Goldenwight says...
4:40pm Thu 12 Apr 12

Here's a tip- put a 'For Sale' sign on each pile, it will all have been nicked by morning.

But seriously, those of you who would defend this woman? Speak to her neighbours. Ask yourself whether YOU would be happy with piles of rubbish in your neighbours' gardens. And the Council have bent over backwards to try to accommodate her.

As to the 'Argus' stirring things up, well it is certainly more of a news story than "Kelly Brook eats an ice cream" isn't it?

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MuammarQaddafi says...
5:30pm Thu 12 Apr 12

This story deserves attention. As rubbish removal services become more and more restricted and expensive, we will see more garden waste piles, and what to do about them should be considered.

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GRUMPAH says...
5:58pm Thu 12 Apr 12

This would not happen anywhere else. The council should enforce the terms of this womans lease immediately and put her and her rubbish out on the street! What a waste of time and money.

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St Peters says...
6:35pm Thu 12 Apr 12

I know Olive, she's a lovely lady. She used to cook at the homeless shelter at St Paddys, she really is selfless. Grumpah, get a life.

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terrie001 says...
7:12pm Thu 12 Apr 12

I also know olive, she is a kind hearted lady, yes it may have gotton a bit out of control and maybe she does need some help but why does the council not work with her, collect her tins once a month and take to scrappy then give her the money, she is doing a job for Brighton and hove council litter picking for god sake.

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terrie001 says...
7:12pm Thu 12 Apr 12

I also know olive, she is a kind hearted lady, yes it may have gotton a bit out of control and maybe she does need some help but why does the council not work with her, collect her tins once a month and take to scrappy then give her the money, she is doing a job for Brighton and hove council litter picking for god sake.

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thewhitehawker says...
10:06pm Thu 12 Apr 12

I have been walking pass her house for years . You literally have to hold your nose from the stench of rotting rubbish .Her garden and inside her house smell and look no different than a rubbish dump . We are talking rotting every day waste . You can only feel for the neighbours . Can u imagine going out your front door every day and then to get a smell so strong and overpowering u want to pass out . If u cannot come visit the street and smell for yourself .Whatever she does or has done for charity is cancelled out by her selfishness and lack of empathy to the neighbours and atmosphere as well as the money she has cost to clear up past waste and future costs. Well done to the council for being extremely responsible and caring in how they have had to deal with her

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george smith says...
10:39pm Thu 12 Apr 12

Pity they don't show the same enthusiasm getting the travellers to clear their rubbish up

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cancelaccount says...
9:36am Fri 13 Apr 12

Evict her, put her in local authority care home with mental health support for her obvious OCD's she is living in a property with more room than she needs and the new tenancy agreements mention under occupation can allow for relocation of people to more appropriate housing,thus allowing for a family to move in and make it a home

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Crystal Ball says...
10:09am Fri 13 Apr 12

What an exclusive scoop: rubbish is found in a garden. Please can the Argus stop trawlling the depths of non-journalism and find some newsworthy stories.

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freewheelingdom says...
11:03am Fri 13 Apr 12

I give up. I'm going to live on a Scotish island and be rid of this crazy world. What, so there busting her for recycling? We have no hope. Why don't we all just nuke each other and be done with it.

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Officeboy says...
1:40pm Fri 13 Apr 12

Ms Taylor has been playing "the game" with the council for years now. She may have been collecting for recycling purposes once, but she certainly has not done so for a long time. She is a compulsive hoarder who needs help in fighting this medical condition.
The front garden is full of rubbish plain and simple rubbish, with rotting foodstuff mixed in with it. She goes out every day and returns with bags of the stuff.
Her neighbours have to endure not only the eyesore but the smell and health hazard that comes with rats and mice and flies that feed on this pile. With the warmer months coming this only gets worse.
Can I ask the council not to be railroaded into accepting her empty attempts to clear their property but to go back to court and fight to get this done ASAP please.
Ms Taylor will never arrange get this cleared by herself, just as she did not some seven years ago when the council had to do it for her.
Once again BHCC please help the local residents who elect and pay for this council.

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