A Dagenham woman who ignored repeated warnings to tidy up her eyesore garden has been ordered to pay over £1,000 following a court hearing.

 

Tania Cole, of Hedgemans Road, was first contacted by enforcement officers from Barking and Dagenham Council on 3 August 2018 following a complaint about an unsightly garden.

 

On visiting the address, officers found several black bin bags sprawled across the front garden of the property as well as an overflowing, and incorrectly used recycling bin that contained rotting waste.

 

Despite being given a number of warning letters and being issued a legal notice under section 43 of the anti-social behaviour crime and policing act 2014, Miss Cole failed to respond and was handed a £100 fixed penalty notice. 

 

However, this went unpaid and in March 2020, a notice of intended prosecution was sent to Miss Cole.

 

Councillor Margaret Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “Eyesore gardens are a blight on our communities and can also be a health risk. These kinds of cases send a strong message that no one is above the law, and we will take action.

 

“Our enforcement officers tried at length to give this person the chance to clean up the mess, but ultimately their efforts fell on deaf ears. As a result, it proved to be a very expensive lesson for the individual when it would have been easier, quicker and cheaper to just clear up the mess in the first place.”

 

The case was heard on Tuesday, 11 January at Barkingside Magistrates Court, which Miss Cole did not attend, and was found guilty in her absence.

 

Cole was ordered to pay a fine of £660, with Barking and Dagenham Council awarded costs of £300 and victim surcharge of £66.