A WOMAN must pay more than £600 after failing to remove rubbish from her garden.

Lesley Iveson, from Lingey Close, Sacriston, was asked by Durham County Council to get rid of mattresses, wood, dog faeces and other general waste in her garden following a complaint about the mess.

On June 28 last year she was issued with a warning which gave her seven days to remove the waste, but this had not been done when a neighbourhood warden returned to the property on July 12. She was then given a Community Protection Notice and another 14 days to clear up, which she failed to do and was issued with a fixed penalty notice. The warden revisited the property on July 27 and the waste was still present. He then ordered the waste be removed, but when he visited again on October 5, the waste was still there.

Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court fined Iveson £450 and ordered her to pay £130 costs and a victim surcharge of £45. An order was granted, requiring her to carry out the work within 28 days.

Should she fail to do so, the matter will be referred back to court requesting she be ordered to pay £50 per day for every day she is in default, or face going to prison.

Ian Hoult, neighbourhood protection manager at Durham County Council, said: “Lesley Iveson was given a number of warnings to remove the waste from her property and refused to do so.

“We are lucky to live in a beautiful county and we want to keep it that way. While we know the vast majority of people do the right thing and get rid of their waste in the correct way, a small minority do not and we hope this case serves as a warning that anyone who refuses to comply with the law could face an expensive day at court.”