Rubbish cleared from South London 'nightmare neighbour' house is so rancid 'council worker vomits'

A mound of rubbish piled outside a Croydon house that's being cleared after its tenant was evicted is emitting such a horrific smell a council worker reportedly vomited. The rubbish, which includes fridges, tins, and gas canisters, has been a constant presence for the last two weeks and is now emitting a 'rotting, fermenting' smell according to a neighbour.

The house in The Glade, Shirley, is currently being cleaned by Croydon Council following the eviction of the previous tenants over the summer. But the pile of waste, which has been moved from inside the house, is so massive and has been sitting there so long, neighbours fear it could attract pests and cause hygiene issues.

On November 8, hospice worker Gillian Bahari returned to her home in The Glade after a long shift. However, instead of winding down, she was met by her alarmed neighbour, who told her she should look at what was going on in the house's front garden next door.

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Leaves and rubbish on the path in The Glade
Neighbours said the former residents had 'caused problems' for years in the run up to their eviction in July -Credit:Harrison Galliven/LDRS

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Gillian said: "I came back from my late shift, then my neighbour from the other side came out and said 'have you seen the state of their garden?'

"I had just finished my shift and was tired, but when I saw it, I couldn't help but film it. It was ridiculous."

She told the LDRS of her shock at discovering mounds of assorted rubbish that had seemingly been removed from the vacant house and dumped 5ft high in the front garden. Gas canisters, food packaging, cardboard and furniture could be seen among the rubbish.

Rubbish outside 222 The Glade
Croydon Council is now in the process of clearing the house, for it to be reused as social housing -Credit:Gillian Bahari

The rubbish remained outside the property while Croydon Council continued to clear the house. Gillian said the smell was so bad that she had to keep all of her windows closed.

She added: "I saw one workman vomiting twice on the road when they came out; that's how bad the smell was. It was horrendous.

"I have had to keep all the windows shut and I can't open the doors because I'm scared that mice and rats might get in here. It's all just slung out, I would have thought a normal person would just hire a skip but they haven't."

While Croydon Council cleared most of the rubbish soon after the first dump was made on Friday 8, a notable amount of debris was still littered around the garden when the LDRS visited the following week. However, this was not the end of the issue for Gillian.

222 The Glade
A photo taken of the rubbish by a neighbour -Credit:Gillian Bahari

Once again, on Sunday, November 17, she was returning home from work when she discovered rubbish piled up high again. This time, the mound was made up of fridges and freezers, which she said were emitting a 'vile smell'.

She said: "The whole garden was completely covered in rubbish. This time, it was letting off a fermenting and rotting smell."

Gillian told the LDRS that Croydon Council had never contacted her or her neighbours about their ongoing cleaning project in order to reassure them which was 'frustrating' as she had been in contact with them about issues with that neighbour. The former residents of the property in question were social housing tenants who were evicted by Croydon Council in July. The LDRS understands the council is now clearing the family house so it can eventually be used for other social housing tenants.

However, after enduring what she described as 'nightmare' neighbours and the recent two weeks of pungent rubbish, Gillian feels the council is not working fast enough to rehouse people next door. She added: "There's a housing crisis at the moment, so they need to get a move on."

222 The Glade
Neighbours feel the rubbish poses a health risk to their house -Credit:Harrison Galliven/ LDRS

A Croydon Council spokesperson said: "We're sorry to hear about the concerns raised by neighbours and any distress this situation may have caused. The council takes antisocial behaviour very seriously and works hard to address issues whilst supporting all residents involved, including offering additional help to vulnerable individuals wherever possible.

"Whilst we cannot comment on the specifics of this case or share personal information, we can confirm that the council took active steps to address the antisocial behaviour issues raised and provided support to the resident throughout the case. Eviction is always a last resort and is only considered to protect the wellbeing of the wider community. The council is also taking steps to deal with the contents and waste left behind by the previous residents."

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