A MAN who allowed his back garden to become a dumping ground and a haven for rats and mice has been condemned as selfish by the leader of Thurrock Council.

David Lee John Steingold allowed the rear of his property on London Road, West Thurrock, to decay into a very poor condition, with its fences falling down and blocking the pavement of the adjacent Essex Road.

He failed to appear when charges against him by Thurrock Council were brought before Basildon Magistrates' Court last month but he was soon in receipt of a bill for a total of £3,550 for the offences of which he was found guilty.

Steingold, who lived at 729B London Road which is behind a former Caribbean takeaway restaurant which fronts London Road, was charged with failing to take steps to keep the land free from rats and mice or steps to be taken to destroy rats or mice.

He was also charged with failing to secure the rear yard of his premises by fixing and/or replacing broken or missing fence panels, and/ or rebuilding the incomplete brick wall.

He was fined £220 each for the two offences and ordered to pay a £44 victim surcharge and costs of £3,066 to Thurrock Council.

The court heard that Steingold, despite being issued with a community protection notice by Thurrock Council to clean up his land, after complaints from local residents about the waste that had built up in his back garden, did not take any action.

In August 2020 after Steingold had still failed to comply with the notice, the council stepped in to remove the bulky household items including sofas, cabinets and an oil drum and to appropriately secure the land to deter others from opportunistic waste disposal.

Council leader Rob Gledhill, who is also cabinet member for public protection and anti-social behaviour, said: "By treating his garden as a dumping ground, this resident's selfish actions blighted the lives of his neighbours and this is something which will not be tolerated in our borough.

"Residents should be able to enjoy their homes and gardens, and not have to live with large waste accumulations from neighbouring properties that could be a risk to public health.

"This case demonstrates that we will take firm action when residents report issues in Thurrock. Residents can go to thurrock.gov.uk/report to report concerns where properties are in such a state that they are likely to entice or harbour pests, or could be harmful to health."