County Durham woman ordered to pay £950 after failing to clear rubbish from her garden

A woman who failed to clear rubbish from her garden has been ordered to pay more than £900.

Annalise Nimmo was fined £220 and ordered to pay £642.31 costs and a £88 victim surcharge for failing to comply with a community protection notice, under Section 48 (1) of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. She was found guilty in her absence at Peterlee Magistrates Court, on Tuesday 25 June,

The court heard that in December 2023, Darlington Borough Council's environmental health team received a complaint about piles of bin bags left in a back garden which were smelling. The complainant was worried it would attract vermin.

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Nimmo, of Longfield Road, Darlington was issued with a written warning and a community protection notice, requiring her to remove the rubbish and to dispose of it in a proper and hygienic manner. She was also told to ensure any other rubbish was disposed of properly within a reasonable time to stop the problem reoccurring.

The notice was not complied with and so a prosecution case was brought against Nimmo. The environmental health team arranged for the garden to be cleared, the cost of this work was recovered through the court action.

Carol Whelan, the council’s environmental health manager, said: "Our staff work hard to ensure the town is kept clean and tidy but we rely on residents to help us, especially when it comes to maintaining their own properties and gardens. Failing to dispose of your rubbish correctly and refusing to comply with orders to clean it up is not acceptable and, as this case shows, we will take action against those who have no regard for others."