Residents longstanding issues with hoarding nightmare neighbour, finally addressed

The 2nd October this year, marked a significant breakthrough for Havering Residents Association North Romford team. Residents had endured years of frustration due to the owner of two houses in Elm Road, in the Mawneys Ward, using his gardens for hoarding a variety of items including cars, bikes and miscellaneous household items.

Residents had voiced their grievances for years, with the local authority in June 2021 issuing a Court order instructing the owner, to clean up the mess and pay a fine of £4726.

There were further Court appearances but nothing was cleared. In June 2022 the owner admitted a further criminal offence of failing to comply. In October 2022, a £6 per day cost was applied for each property backdated to April 2021, until the properties were cleared. It was finally cleared on the 13th October 2023. However, there was still no attempt to clear the gardens, stating they had nowhere to place skips and no one to help him.

The owners of an adjoining house had to move out for 18 months, for extensive repairs, due to a water leak not being fixed in the property.

After a fire in one of the houses, neighbours were informed that the gas cylinders they found in the property could have potentially impacted half of the road and residents living there.

However, this month, a ray of hope emerged as enforcement officers and council officials took decisive action. They attended the properties and began removing accumulated items that had blighted the neighbourhood. The operation was extensive and ran from Monday 2nd October until Friday 13th October with security officers there day and night to protect the properties.

Four vehicles that had sat in one of the properties for around 40 years, along with 5 motorbikes and piles of other waste, took 10 days to be removed.

The determined efforts of the North Romford H.R.A. and the community, combined with the intervention of the local authority, has brought relief to the residents. This heartening development serves as a reminder of the power of community action and persistence. It highlights the importance of residents, local authorities and councillors working together to address issues that impact the well-being of the neighbourhood.

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