News RSS Feed


WALTHAM FOREST: Clampdown on dirty gardens begins

11:18am Wednesday 22nd September 2010 in News By Safira Ali

Cllr Clyde Loakes says messy front gardens will not be tolerated Cllr Clyde Loakes says messy front gardens will not be tolerated

A MAJOR clampdown on messy gardens began today.

Residents will be given 48 hours to clear rubbish in their front gardens or the council carry out the work and charge the owner.

The minimum fee is expected to be £30.

Since April 1 the council has received 193 complaints from residents and more than 500 gardens have been identified as needing a clean-up.

The authority started the campaign by clearing out a garden in Verulam Avenue, Walthamstow.

The owner was given 28-days to act, but after failing to do so the council moved in to do the job.

Waltham Forest Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Clyde Loakes, said: “There is absolutely no excuse for treating your front garden like a dumping ground and our residents are sick to death of living near homes which have been neglected.

“Residents have told us they are fed up of people running our streets down and they want us to do something about it.

“If people can’t be bothered to help us keep our borough clean, we’re going to step in and force them to clean up their act.

“We want to make this one of the tidiest borough’s in London and this scheme will go a long way towards helping us to achieve that goal.”

The new scheme marks the relaunch of the council's Wiping out Enviro-crime campaign which will focus on tackling problems such as fly-tipping and littering.

Click here to follow the Waltham Forest Guardian on Twitter

Comments(10)

thundercats says...
12:32pm Wed 22 Sep 10

What about houses with many flats in, and one tenent puts large junk furniture out in garden, which of the tenents is repsonsible if no-one owns up to it?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Benjamin P says...
12:54pm Wed 22 Sep 10

This is a really great initiative. Some people really don't care about using their gardens as dumping grounds.

While they're at it, can the council also clamp down on TV satellite dishes. They are so unsightly.
Is there a maximum amount of dishes a property can have? Because I've seen some houses with more than 2 on.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Sam Hain says...
1:11pm Wed 22 Sep 10

I agree with you, Benjamin P - all good points. They should also be more assertive about estate agents' signs left up illegally after properties have been let or sold.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Walthamstow noob says...
1:44pm Wed 22 Sep 10

I saw the headline and was ready to leave a comment about how they should start on Markhouse Road, and the picture shows them clearing the very garden I was thinking of!


You say "Cllr Clyde Loakes, rubbish is removed from a dirty garden in CMarkhouse Road..."
That's a bit harsh, couldn't they have just asked him nicely to move?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Pamella says...
5:02pm Wed 22 Sep 10

how does the council ensure it gets paid for this and isnt just being used by people who dump rubbish and then do a flit never to be found?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

hotredman says...
11:30pm Wed 22 Sep 10

It was on both London Tonight and BBC london News. Loakes was looking smirk. One of the peoples gardens who was being cleared, say he never got no notice; which I do no believe, he must have just ignored it like the state he left his garden in. Anyway, it was strange how everyone had brand new hi-vests, 100% clean uniform; just for the press.
i was suprised they never went the whole 9 yards and had a new rubbish truck to put it in; I guess next time.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

rubberneck says...
1:17am Thu 23 Sep 10

thundercats wrote:
What about houses with many flats in, and one tenent puts large junk furniture out in garden, which of the tenents is repsonsible if no-one owns up to it?
great point and am i the only person who thinks that waltham forest are trying to do something about the shabby state of the borough for the er er........ Olympics!????

Nice to see that Loakes has found his tie! See guardian's passim

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

everoptimistic says...
7:25pm Thu 23 Sep 10

And am I the only one who thinks that Loakes has the Leaders job in mind as he is keeping such a high profile at the moment? But, that asside, let's hope that he doesn't confuse untidy gardens with overgrown gardens. The latter are a haven for wildlife and should be encouraged. Last year my quiet neighbour received a very officious letter from the council about the state of his garden. None of us neighbours had complained and it upset him greatly. So, yes please, let's have the rubbish strewn front yards cleared up but leave the flora and fauna alone.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

ftsefaller says...
8:50pm Thu 23 Sep 10

Another nice little initiative from Cllr Loakes - great for the TV cameras - but why doesn't he address the bigger picture and do something about the derelict, unsightly shops down Leytonstone High Road and other areas of the borough?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Sam Hain says...
10:30pm Fri 24 Sep 10

This scheme is a laudable effort, no doubt, but one which is done no favours by the appallingly inept write-up it gets on the Council's own website. I quote: "Waste in front gardens is an eyesore, and no more acceptable than someone fly-tipping on the street. They detract from the look of an area, and have been linked to perceptions of anti-social behaviour. There is no excuse for treating your front garden like a dumping ground. Overgrown hedges, rusting cars, rotting mattresses and piles of rubbish make the whole street look like a tip and our residents are sick to death of living near homes which have been neglected. We are targeting dirty front gardens owners to clean up their mess, or face the action we will take against them . Residents will be given 48 hours to clear dirty front gardens with rubbish dumped on them or the Council will clear them , and then charge the owner for the work carried out. A minimum fee for the work is expected to be £30." Who wrote this drivel? I thought the Council's communications were supposed to be drafted in Plain English!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

click2find

Most popular






About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree