A man has been fined £1,100 after failing to clear a large amount of rubbish and refuse from the front garden of his home in a two-year-long legal battle.

Malcolm Read, of Brick Kiln Avenue in Beccles, was initially told in February 2022 to clean the rubbish off his property by East Suffolk Council and was given four months to do so.

The discarded items included scrap metal and wood, plastic, bicycles, empty containers, tarpaulin, sinks, wiring, household furniture and equipment, electrical items and plastic bags.

Beccles & Bungay Journal: Rubbish in front of Mr Read's propertyRubbish in front of Mr Read's property (Image: East Suffolk Council)

But four months later, East Suffolk Council workers found that Mr Read had failed to clear the rubbish and he was summoned to court in November 2022 where he was ordered to pay £808 in fines and court costs.

He was then given until the end of February 2023 to clear the front and rear gardens of rubbish.

This resulted in legal action when enforcement officers visited the home in March 2023 and found a large amount of scrap material and waste remained in the front garden. 

In October, magistrates granted him three more months to clear the rubbish.

But Read again failed to clear the site in time for his reappearance at court on Monday, January 15 when he admitted breaching the compliance notice for a second time and was ordered to pay £1,100 in fines and costs.

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Councillor Kay Yule, East Suffolk's cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management, said: "Mr Read was given ample opportunity to comply with the original notice and clear the rubbish from his gardens.

"But he continued to leave his property in a state that adversely affected the amenity of the neighbourhood.

"Prosecution is always a last resort, but we will take direct action against people whose actions continue to impinge on others."