Eastbourne homeowner ordered to pay thousands for ‘eyesore’ garden

Eastbourne Borough Council took direct action after the homeowner in Selmeston Road ignore multiple requests to tidy up their garden, which had become an ‘eyesore’ for local residents, and a Section 215 notice was served.

Councillor Colin Swansborough, Cabinet Member for Community Spaces, said: “Neighbours were fed up with having to live near this awful mess which had become less of a garden and more of a dumping ground.

“Our officers made it clear to the homeowner that this was unacceptable and they needed to tidy up their land. When these requests and were consistently ignored, our planning enforcement team quite rightly, took direct action.

Following the Section 215 notice, a charge was made on the house to cover the clearance costs – which ran into thousands of pounds - and this will be recovered when the property is sold.