Tonnes of rubbish cleared at home

The house was packed from floor to ceiling with tonnes of rubbish

Several tonnes of rubbish have been removed from the home of a man who had refused to throw anything away.

Much of the refuse was rotting and the house in Immingham, North East Lincolnshire, had become rat-infested.

Officials at North East Lincolnshire Council acted after complaints from neighbours of Mervyn Jones, 73.

Parts of his home on Pelham Road were filled from floor to ceiling and he had to use a ladder to get in and out of the house.

The situation became so bad officials took legal action.

Air rifles

Mr Jones has been moved from the property while the clean up goes ahead.

A council spokesman said the back garden at the property was "like an assault course".

Bric-a-brac dating back decades has been found by workmen brought in to clear the house.

Among the items found at the property were a number of decrepit air-powered rifles, swords, toys, household rubbish, scrap metal and chemicals.

All three floors of the house had been rammed full of debris, council officials discovered.

Hell, in a word, filth, degradation, this has driven me to the brink of despair and it still is Neighbour Alyson Thomson

Environmental enforcement manager John Waite said the house was in a very bad state.

"We have had to take action under the Public Health Act to ensure the general well-being of the occupier and also the health and safety of the adjoining residents.

"I have seen plenty of premises like this, but I would have to say this is considerably worse than any of those and possibly one of the worst that I've seen in my career in environmental health."

Neighbour Alyson Thomson said it had been very difficult living near the house.

"Hell, in a word, filth, degradation, this has driven me to the brink of despair and it still is".

Mr Waite said the council was providing accommodation for Mr Jones.

A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesman said: "The council will be using current legislation to enable us to reclaim the cost of the clean-up operation from the property owner."