Man fined for rubbish in garden says he keeps it messy to protect his family from thieves

A man who was fined hundreds of pounds for failing to clean up his garden says he keeps it messy to protect his family from thieves. Michael Willby, of Hull, was ordered to pay £540 in fines and costs at Hull Magistrates Court after he refused to remove rubbish bags, piles of wood and a disused car that is parked in his front garden. He pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an abatement notice ordering him to remove rubbish from his front and back garden at a hearing on Friday. Mr Willby said: "If I lived in a nicer area, then I would be able to have a nicer garden.

"But the fact is this whole area is being turned into a place I don't recognise. It used to be full of families, but now there are seven or eight hostels, just on this one street. I keep my garden this way to stop people from climbing on to my roof and trying to break into the house, and the fact is that it works. As long as there are still the same problems on this street, I'm not going to change anything." Mr Willby claims some of the properties on his street have been converted into temporary accommodation for those recently released from prison. Mr Willby's partner, who asked not to be named, said there has been a big rise in crime.



She said: "My youngest daughter is now afraid to stay here on weekends because of the trouble from other people in the street. A few months ago she woke up and went downstairs in the middle of the night to find a woman standing in our hallway, rooting around to steal things. When your own daughter is scared to sleep in her bed at night, you realise how bad things have got." Mr Willby also says rogue landlords and tenants from nearby flats have dumped disused furniture and rubbish behind his house. He told the court the huge pile of waste has blocked the entrance to his back garden and means he is unable to clear his own property.

The waste has allegedly been building up for more than a year, but the city council is unable to take action because it is private property. Nathan Chester, prosecuting the case on behalf of Hull City Council, said officers had been prepared to help Mr Willby clear the back garden but he did not co-operate with the council's request for access to his home. He said: "The council said it will try to clear the waste items, but he did not allow access to the property. Mr Willby said he did not understand the notice. He felt that what we said was rubbish, was actually something of value to him." Mr Willby said he will pay the fine imposed by the court, but has no plans to comply with the order to clean up. He said: "I feel like I am being attacked on both sides. The council say they won't clean up one area next to my house because it is private land, but then they expect me to comply with what they want on my property."