View Full Version : Whats this about??
WHISTLED
03-06-2008, 17:22
I have just got home and the first thing I noticed on pulling into my drive was my 2 wheelie bins were up against the house, its not bin day so when I left this morning they were at the far end of the drive against my back fence/gate. I live alone so they shouldnt have been moved and certainly not against the house to make a lovely little fire place for the kids.
I checked the dog was ok (house would be fine with her in the gadren) and went inside to find a note stuffed through the door from a 'Street Environment Manager' giving me a number to call regarding my 'overgrown garden and the waste to the rear of your driveway'
I should say at this point my house is privately owned in a private development surrpounded by other privatley owned properties. Now i have to admit that my front lawn (3'x3') needs cutting, it hasnt been done yet as it needs raking out and moss treating/feeding at the same time and I didnt have time while I was off last week. The 'waste' referred to is 2 x large cardboard boxes I had from stuff I bought Friday before last. I didnt have room for them in the bin and as we know they wont take it unless its in there so they were tucked behind the bins, (Bit soggy now because it rained last week but not really visible unless you came in the garden and moved the bins!)
2 points really fistly what the hell has it got to do with the council that my private home needs the lawn cutting and do they have the right to come in my garden?
Im more annoyed because they moved the bins to be honest and that I have a dog who would have been going mental with them stood there.
Sounds odd. Give them a call and see what on earth their problem is.
WHISTLED
03-06-2008, 17:52
The only reason I havent is because I would be rather 'emotional' I dont know why im so annoyed but I am.
2 points really fistly what the hell has it got to do with the council that my private home needs the lawn cutting and do they have the right to come in my garden?
Well all these people who have jobs created by the huge increases in council tax over the last few years need to try and show they are earning their cash.
Still it might be nice to point him towards a local council estate with shells of cars and dumped fridges and cookers in the front gardens and tell him once they are removed he can come and talk to you.
WHISTLED
03-06-2008, 17:56
Well all these people who have jobs created by the huge increases in council tax over the last few years need to try and show they are earning their cash.
Still it might be nice to point him towards a local council estate with shells of cars and dumped fridges and cookers in the front gardens and tell him once they are removed he can come and talk to you.
My thoughts too - Mines new build but they have just rennovated all the private terraces around the corner (new windows, doors, sandblasted, painted exterior) to be honest so Im all in favour of improving the area and keeping it nice. Just question what my lawn has to do with them and why they are moving things that dont belong to them
Sounds a bit iffy if you tell me, check the number you are ringing, if it doesn't match in with the local council's (I presume its council) numbers then there is something odd.
papa smurf
03-06-2008, 18:21
may be you've been reported by a loving neighbour for having [in there eyes an unsightly lawn etc] ..i my self was reported for lighting fires and poluting my neighbours air ,council waller came around looked for non existant evidence of non existant fires and left, no appology or owt , i phoned them and explained it appeard to be the local kitchen fitter burning mdf and lamminates[which i pointed out are poisonous when burned] to no avail he still does it .
WHISTLED
03-06-2008, 18:28
may be you've been reported by a loving neighbour for having Nah its been sunny and also raimed so everyones lawn has shot up, including both sides of me.
Sounds a bit iffy if you tell me, check the number you are ringing, if it doesn't match in with the local council's (I presume its council) numbers then there is something odd. Seems genuine, its not just a scrap note its a generic one that they have added my address too and few details.. Uwww i would love him to knock on tonight
homealone
03-06-2008, 19:14
Uwww i would love him to knock on tonight
I doubt that will happen, it will be like that Smith & Jones sketch where they sat in a van outside someone's house for 2 days & nights - then, when the person finally went out they rushed over to stick a 'called while you were out' note through the door...
I agree with you that the council should have better things to do with the money that you, after all, are paying them ..
And what's to stop it being someone who's wages are funded by either the local Tenants and Residents Association, or one of the regeneration groups. It could even be someone working voluntary on belaf of a TRA, a bit like tidyness vigilantees.
If it's a private estate and you've got nothing fouling the footpath or road then the council havn't got any jurisdiction to do anything like what has happened to you. There aren't any "tidy garden" laws that I know of.
We get a bloke doing the same here, but we live on a housing associaton estate, and the bloke is employed by the three association's that have properties on here to make sure that people are abiding by their tenancies.
WHISTLED
03-06-2008, 20:29
And what's to stop it being someone who's wages are funded by either the local Tenants and Residents Association, or one of the regeneration groups. It could even be someone working voluntary on belaf of a TRA, a bit like tidyness vigilantees Letter says Manchester city council actually.
Truely strange. Phone them in the morning, you are more than able for them.
Back to what I said originally, on a private estate, in a private house, there isn't any legal process for the council to get involved, not about the garden/grass anyway. The boxes on your driveway could used as a nest/nest material for rats, the council only have powers in that area if a complaiint has been made by another resident, and after investigating that complaint they have seen rats on you property.
At the end of the day, if you intend to dispose of the boxes in the near future, then I think this bloke will just go away, Sounds like someone acting on behalf of pest control to me. Don't think the long grass should have been mentioned though, only people I would have thought could enforce garden tidyness in your case is something like an estate management, which from reading your first post, you havn't got.
WHISTLED
03-06-2008, 20:49
This is them (http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=100006&documentID=526&pageNumber=3)
KaySquirrel
04-06-2008, 11:39
If I was told that my property was in such a deplorable state, because I hadn't mowed the lawn, and I had left a couple of cardboard boxes behind the bins until I could fit them INTO the bin, I would make sure that my neighbourhood was held to the same high standard expected of me.
According to the website linked to, the council's Environment On Call team also provides the following services (this is not the complete list from the website):
Replacement bin - Delivered within two working days
Your bin isn't looking like you keep rubbish in there, now is it? Come on now, isn't it time for a nice shiny new bin so that the neighbourhood isn't full of old, sun-faded ones that aren't as pleasing to the eye?
Bulky Refuse Removal - Removed within 10 working days - on an appointment basis
You don't want me keeping those boxes behind my bin until I can find room to dispose of them? Send someone out to come and get them. Any appointment time is fine, except for between noon and 1pm because the dog needs his nap.
Street sweeping request - Swept by the end of the next working day
It's looking a bit dusty, with pebbles and little bits of stuff on the road. Please come sweep it. Also, I threw all my grass clippings on the road, since you were in such a rush to have me mow it, and you're coming out to sweep the road anyway..
Removal of dumped refuse - Inspected or removed by end of next working day
What is that I see, along the side of the road? Someone has carelessly discarded a bit of rubbish! GET THEE HENCE TO REMOVE IT lest it encourage others to drop bits of refuse willy-nilly!
Street light out - Inspected within five working days
There's that one that's out. And check all the others, too. Some of them are a bit too dim, so council workers spying into a private garden might miss serious lawncare offenses!
Highway issues; potholes etc. - Inspected within three working days
There's that little bit of uneven surface.. and some wear and tear around the sewage drain. I wouldn't want council workers spying on private gardens, in the dark because of that street light being abnormally dim, to trip and hurt themselves on uneven road surface.
Who's going to fault you for wanting to be SUCH a good example to the rest of the neighbourhood? ;)
WHISTLED
04-06-2008, 11:47
I got a call on my mobile earlier! I asedk him what its got to do with him, its a private property and is maintained by myself when I have time.
He said a neighbourhood warden had noted it and that long grass could have a visual impact on the area affecting others.. Wanted me to commit to doing it, pushing for a time frame.
I fancy an au natural garden now - What do you think? Also have some spare boxes in the shed I think.
I fancy an au natural garden now - What do you think? Also have some spare boxes in the shed I think.
Have some burnt out cars in the front garden as modern art sculptures. :D
Well all these people who have jobs created by the huge increases in council tax over the last few years need to try and show they are earning their cash.
Still it might be nice to point him towards a local council estate with shells of cars and dumped fridges and cookers in the front gardens and tell him once they are removed he can come and talk to you.
True.. I have a hedge in front of my house, and I got a snotty letter from the council because it has grown 15 cms over the pavement (apparently that 15 cms meant it was blocking the pavement). I wrote back pointing out that in many parts of my local area, the council owned trees are now hanging so low that you can only get past them if you are 4 feet tall or under. Thus leaving the pavement totally blocked for anyone taller than that.
Never heard anything back
KaySquirrel
04-06-2008, 12:49
The trouble is that the councils seem to be treating Whistled and Stuart C as if they are repeat offenders, when this isn't the case.
I understand that the 'neighbourhood slob' had to start somewhere -- you know, there's always that one person whose lawn is always a mess, stuff left lying around on the property, etc. However, when the council has had to send half a dozen letters to the offender, with no result, only THEN do I think they are justified in starting to get snotty.
Since it was a one-off for both the bins and cardboard and the hedge, I don't see why it was necessary for the council to have gotten so nasty right off the bat. :td:
Personally, I would turn around and request street sweeping, a new bin, repaired road surface, and any other maintenance work that would be necessary to "improve the visual impact on the area affecting others". See if THEY will commit to a time frame to get it all sorted, hm?
True.. I have a hedge in front of my house, and I got a snotty letter from the council because it has grown 15 cms over the pavement (apparently that 15 cms meant it was blocking the pavement). I wrote back pointing out that in many parts of my local area, the council owned trees are now hanging so low that you can only get past them if you are 4 feet tall or under. Thus leaving the pavement totally blocked for anyone taller than that.
Never heard anything back
I once had a copper ring my doorbell as my hedge was growing over the pavement. As he (rightly) pointed out, there was not enough space left on the pavement for someone in a wheelchair to pass (i.e. they'd have to go onto the road). So. I duely cut the hedge back. That, however, was a reasonable request made of me by a friendly and polite copper. And the request was made in person, to my face. A bit different from the case described in this thread.
I once had a copper ring my doorbell as my hedge was growing over the pavement. As he (rightly) pointed out, there was not enough space left on the pavement for someone in a wheelchair to pass (i.e. they'd have to go onto the road). So. I duely cut the hedge back. That, however, was a reasonable request made of me by a friendly and polite copper. And the request was made in person, to my face. A bit different from the case described in this thread.
True, however, in my case there was still several feet of pavement between my hedge and the road..
True, however, in my case there was still several feet of pavement between my hedge and the road..
I'm not saying there wasn't. Just pointing out that there can be legitimate reasons for being asked to cut your hedge back (and in honesty, people don't tend to consider wheel chairs when determining if their hedge needs cutting back).
I wonder what they would say to someone growing a wild garden for the specific purpose of encouraging wild life, in particular rare butterflies?
Well that's my excuse...:)
LondonRoad
04-06-2008, 15:32
Ironically I recently had to contact our council about their vans constantly parking on the pavement thus blocking use for prams and wheelchairs. I stay in very family orientated estate with schools and nurseries at the end so the paths are well used. Needless to say the request was ignored. The problem was remedied when their major project was completed.
1 mini roundabout, 3 vans everyday with an assortment of workmen standing looking in at each other. Very little activity in evidence for most of the time, yet they managed to complete the task in only 6 weeks. The mini roundabout ( a raised bit of tarmac painted white) is actually in the wrong place as it's impossible to turn right without going straight over the top of the roundabout. Nobody dares complain though;)
WHISTLED
04-06-2008, 18:07
I wonder what they would say to someone growing a wild garden for the specific purpose of encouraging wild life, in particular rare butterflies?
Funny you should say that, i was discussing with people at work today and we decided thats what we would reply to the forthcoming letter stating. I think I have just found a crested newt!
papa smurf
04-06-2008, 19:14
I got a call on my mobile earlier! I asedk him what its got to do with him, its a private property and is maintained by myself when I have time.
He said a neighbourhood warden had noted it and that long grass could have a visual impact on the area affecting others.. Wanted me to commit to doing it, pushing for a time frame.
I fancy an au natural garden now - What do you think? Also have some spare boxes in the shed I think.
put an old ford escort on bricks there ,see how they react:D
Letter says Manchester city council actually.
:confused: I thought you were in Ireland, seeing as you're Fingy's boss? :confused: Otherwise that's 1 hell of a commute!
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