Tenants fined over mountain of waste dumped in council house garden in Batley

Two tenants were each fined £120 with £225 costs at Huddersfield Magistrates Court and were ordered to clear the waste from their garden on Broomsdale Road by a set date.

The action comes after the council’s Homes and Neighbourhoods Service had taken steps to work with the tenants over dumped waste in their garden since 2019.

As a last resort, the case was referred to the Environmental Enforcement Team amid concern the garden was being used to empty rubbish collected as part of a business operation.

Neither of the tenants attended the court hearing, but were each fined and ordered to clean up the property.

David Shepherd, Kirklees Council's strategic director of growth and regeneration, said: “We want to build pride in place and keep our estates clean and tidy.

"Dumped rubbish is a blight on our neighbourhoods and is unfair on those residents living nearby who do look after their properties.

“As a landlord, we look after the repair and condition of our properties, but tenants need to do what they can to look after their homes and gardens to ensure they are not damaged or neglected.

“We will take legal action where necessary and I hope the fines served on these two tenants send a clear message that keeping homes and gardens in good condition is important to us as a landlord and to the majority people living in our neighbourhoods who keep their gardens well kept.”