'We call it the dirty house' neighbours want house cleaned up

We previously reported on the state of the home in Newtown Road - after Aconbury Close neighbour Maggie Orgee revealed she had been forced to pay hundreds of pounds to cut back trees overgrowing from the neighbour’s property.

Now residents in Newtown Road have said they want something done, as the situation has been going on for 30 years.

Resident Brian Peplow said: “We call it the dirty house, it is a disgrace.

“It has always been neglected but has got worse in recent years. It has not been touched for decades - it reminds me of Lady Havisham’s mansion in Great Expectations.

“Paintwork is coming off, there is a fridge freezer left outside the front, the ivy is completely obscuring windows.”

Neighbours say the home blocks their sunlight and they had seen rats with overgrown foliage constantly coming onto their land, and having to be cut back.

The excessive growth is so bad it's pushing back the fence at certain places along the boundary with a neighbouring property.

One neighbour also told us they feared it would have a detrimental effect on their house price, if they tried to sell.

Mr Peplow said: “We have houses that are well kept round here but he has allowed it to get it to this state.”

Mrs Orgee said the situation with the trees had been going on for 26 years, saying she had had enough as “it is not my job to cut down his trees or pay to keep it maintained.”

The Worcester News has made multiple attempts to contact the owner, understood to be Ken Miles, but these have proved unsuccessful.

A city council spokesman said: “We have not received a complaint about this property. If residents do want to make a complaint they can do so at worcester.gov.uk/planning-enforcement.”

Earlier this year Worcester City Council officers served a notice on a house in Arboretum, and threatened legal action if it was not cleaned up.