A MAN has embarked on a solo protest to highlight the difficulty of living next door to a garden resembling a scrap yard – and he says the council should do more to resolve the situation.

Bob Drought, from Hunton, between Richmond and Bedale, said he has been battling with Richmondshire District Council for the last three years over getting help for his neighbour, who collects wood and metal around his property.

Mr Drought spent Wednesday afternoon outside the council offices in Richmond with a placard detailing his concerns.

Mr Drought said: “It is causing me distress, I can’t escape it. He often burns pallets which gives off potent fumes and I have to shut all my windows. There are rats living in the rubbish, and it is a serious fire risk.

“I have been asking the council to get him to clear it up for years, and initially he was given an order to remove the rubbish but all he did was move the rubbish from the front of his property to the back and sides.

“Since then it has grown, and this year he has brought more than 50 loads of rubbish in his car. I have no ill-feeling towards him, but I am concerned for his safety as well as my own.

The Northern Echo:

“In amongst the rubbish in between our houses there is wood, cement mixer, gas canisters, pipes, tyres, and all sorts of debris. If it caught fire it would be huge.

“All I want is to be able to live in my house, which I love, and not have to look out at a visual eyesore, and not have to fight constantly with the council for support. I want it to be cleared so we can all be safe.”

A spokeswoman for Richmondshire District Council said: “A Section 215 Notice was served at the end of 2017 which gave the owner until the end of February 2018 to comply with it. The notice required all the materials to be removed from the front garden of the property and the driveway.

“The front garden was cleared as well as most of the driveway, and the district council took the decision not to take any further action regarding compliance with the notice at that time – but to monitor the site to ensure it did not fall back into the same state whereby it adversely affected the neighbourhood.

"This monitoring is still ongoing and if it is felt that a further notice is needed, the council will serve one on the site.

“Mr Drought has been kept updated of this ongoing work."

The spokesperson added: "The council has also involved other services as part of its ongoing investigation and has advised him that he can seek help from other service providers.”