Bosses to act on brothers’ council ‘scrap’
Friday 27th March 2009, 12:10PM GMT.
Council bosses are set to take legal action against two Shropshire brothers accused of hoarding tonnes of scrap at their home – nearly two years after a mammoth clean-up operation at the property.
See pictures of the area in the gallery below.
Fed-up neighbours have bombarded council bosses with complaints claiming that scrap, including a red tractor, has started to pile up again at the home of Garth and Paul Lowe in Oakengates.
It comes 20 months after council workers carried out a week long operation to remove 63 tonnes of rubbish from the house in Hilltop Road. Telford & Wrekin Council today said action was being taken.
Councillor Miles Hosken, cabinet member for environment said: “At present papers are being prepared by the council’s legal department as we seek to obtain a further injunction in the county court. It is hoped that we can take action through the court in early April.”
Muriel Price, 79, who has lived at the property next door for 51 years, said she had rung the council to complain after scrap started to reappear, including a tractor. She said: “He’s filled up the back again with lots of rubbish and then a tractor arrived on the front. It’s dreadful.”
Huw Thomas, who lives opposite, said: “To see what poor Muriel has to put up with every time she goes out of her house is awful.”
Garth Lowe, who is in his early 70s, was unavailable for comment at his home yesterday, while his brother Paul, who is in his early 60s, is understood to spend most of his time in Thailand.
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simple solution, if they run a scrap metal business form their home, charge them business rates on top of their council tax, that will sort them
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really, this is an issue? looks like any cubntry backyeard to me, a bit ramshackle, a bit run down but there are many backyards with piles of bricks and odds and ends around, even some with old machinery. Do we really want tax payers money funding a prosecution and clean up?
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forgive the typos – how I long for spellcheck! (probably start a whole heap of responses on the reliance of spellcheck etc – lol)
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I completely agree with TC. There are plenty of smallholdings and rural properties with back yards like this. In fact I have seen much worse! Leave this old chap be. I think there is something nice and ‘oldy-worldy’ about eccentric countryfolk and their collection of artefacts. I imagine the tractor is well used, not everyone can afford a £60-100K brand new shiny machine on their yard!
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“There are plenty of smallholdings and rural properties with back yards like this”.
I guess the problem here is it isn’t rural or country? its oakengates with close neighbour’s having to look at it all day, if it were rural i suppose it wouldn’t be much of a problem, but agreed i have seen FAR FAR worse!.
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feel sorry for the nieghbours this is truly terrible people who let their land get like this
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You should see a Bulgarian back yard, they hoard everything they find, “it may come in useful one day” seems to be the thinking.
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