Waltham Forest council announces filthy garden action

There are many good things about Walthamstow, the East London town where I live.

Excellent transport links, two museums, decent charity shops, the longest market in Europe and green spaces within a short journey.

However, in the year I have been here I have been disgusted by the amount of litter on Walthamstow's streets and in front gardens.

My road is spotted with discarded take away containers, carrier bags and beer cans. The shop on the corner leaves several bags of waste next to their bins as well as a selection of broken household goods.

This selection competes with another arrangement at the other end of the street, where objects are discarded on a random basis. Often, broken suitcases are piled up there.

The same is true for many of the front gardens, which have rubble piled up in them like barricades. One, on the corner of Lily and Ivy Road, is full of burned debris including a melted wheelie bin.

My housemate describes the filthy front gardens as "keeping down with the Joneses".

A filthy area encourages people to act in a filthy way, as they have no pride in their area.

Now, Waltham Forest Council claims it will take action against people with filthy front gardens, following a story in the Waltham Forest Guardian about a house in Manor Road, Leyton.

Next door neighbour Mohammed Zladdin told the newspaper: "The house has been empty for months and the front garden is full of mess. People throw nappies and all sorts into there.

“I have asked the council to clean it but nothing is being done. For months I have been reporting the rubbish. There are foxes and rats here at night, and the rubbish makes it worse. It needs to be cleaned up.

"Every time I have called the council they say they will do it or they will get back to me. They just give me excuses.

"No one has been down to have a look at it. I last contacted them three weeks ago."

Enforcement officers will patrol Waltham Forest in October, looking for untidy gardens and order landlords to clear them.

If they refuse to comply, they will be issued with a £100 fixed penalty notice. Further legal proceedings could lead to a £5000 fine, according to the Waltham Forest Guardian.

This action is welcome, but it is a shame we must wait until October for something to be done. I would also like to see the council use Empty Dwelling Management Orders, which allow councils to take over the management of homes vacant for more than six months.

One house in my road is empty, and it was burgled last year. It is obvious the house is empty and rubble is left in the front garden. Today, coming back from a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum, I noticed one of the windows had been broke, the glass lying in the concreted-over front garden.

Tackling filthy front gardens should help to install a little bit more pride in Walthamstow residents, although we should also consider why people leave their gardens in a mess in the first place.

One reason is that many of the houses with gardens full of rubble are doing building work, and there is no space for a skip in the garden. What can be done to tackle this?