Neighbour hoarding junk

[WattDalziel]

At the back of our house on the other side of our fence is a patch of land which is shared among 3 Victorian terraced houses. The people who live in the terrace have lived their all their lives and are now in their mid 70s. The whole area is a mess, they've got wooden huts which are about 25ft and as both men who own the huts nearest us are of the age when they never throw anything away lest it come in handy, the whole place needs a good clear out. There's old internal doors, broken bits of plastic garden chairs, bricks, old oil drums with holes in that have gone rusty and loads of junk. Although this is a huge eyesore, only the fronts of the huts can be seen from the road - and they are at the end of a driveway, so if I were to report them to environmental health it will be obvious that the complaint has come from us as no-one but us can see it unless you're trespassing.

We recently had moss cleared from our roof and the workman told us that he could see behind one of the huts that there are 15 fire extinguishers out in the open and he said that was dangerous. We've checked and sure enough, the old man appears to be hoarding these about 12ft away from our fence. Is there any danger in storing fire extinguishers outside? They are just on the ground in a group on the earth. Highly unlikely to be on the way to the tip or for his use, they will likely just stay there to rot. We are worried because they are hazardous waste - does anyone know if storing them outside is also a hazard? I don't know if they are empty or not. We use our garden a lot, enjoy bbqs and have two young children. They aren't the sort of neighbours you can approach. Sorry long post, didn't want to drip feed.

[florianblossom]

You could approach the Fire Brigade and ask them to come and do an inspection as you are concerned about flammable/explosive canisters being incorrectly stored.
They will be able to asses the danger of the canisters and put your mind at rest, or possibly confiscate flammable materials that are incorrectly stored. They are also usually friendly, very experienced with dealing with vulnerable/older people and may be less confrontational than a Health and Safety inspector.

[SquinkiesRule]

Just call the council and get it over with. The Messy hoarders need to clean up the place. Being old doesn't mean you can let the place go to hell.

[specialsubject]

...and being old doesn't always mean that you are a messy slob. Not all 'of the age' do this.

call environmental health and get it dealt with.

[CodyKing]

Try need to be stored safely away from any water - depends on type - some are chemicals -

They can be prosecuted for non storage or correct storage - they need to be taken away by licensed carriers - as dangerous waste

Ring the fire brigade and explain your concerns