'Messy' tenants may face eviction

Terry Bensley hopes residents will keep their area clean

Tenants who persistently dump rubbish in alleyways near their homes could be threatened with losing their home, a Norfolk council has warned.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has joined forces with cleansing contractor GYB Services, police and landlords to rewrite tenancy agreements.

The new contracts mean tenants who leave a mess could be in breach of their tenancy terms and conditions.

It is hoped the powers will be a deterrent and not lead to evictions.

Smaller wheelie bins

Neighbourhood officer Terry Bensley said: "We're hopeful that it doesn't come to that [eviction], but we are going to put our foot down because some of what we have to put up with is outrageous."

Street cleaners have now targeted areas with a history of littering and fly-tipping.

And the council has given residents smaller wheelie bins after it became apparent that bins were too large to be taken into back yards.

Previously bins had been kept in the alleyways, which restricted access and led to other rubbish being left on pathways.