A MAN who ignored warnings to clear rubbish from his back yard has been given a conditional discharge.

Durham County Council received a complaint about rubbish in the rear yard of a property in Southcross Street in Leadgate last November, Peterlee Magistrates Court heard.

The rubbish consisted of empty bottles, a toilet seat, cardboard and four white bags of what appeared to be general waste.

Derek Armstrong was sent a Community Protection Warning giving him ten days to clear up.

After a further visit a month later the rubbish was still there so a Community Protection Notice was hand-delivered to the property giving him 28 days to clear it.

But another month later the mess still had not been removed and as a result a fixed penalty notice was issued, which remains unpaid, the court heard.

Armstrong, 56, of Southcross Street, Leadgate, denied failing to comply with the Community Protection Notice but magistrates found him guilty following a trial.

Armstrong claimed he intended to use a skip, which had been placed at his house while building works were being carried out, for the rubbish.

He was given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £200 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.