to want to do something about my mum's otherwise lovely neighbours?

[MinesaBottle]

My mum was on the phone yesterday complaining about the state of her neighbours? backyard. She?s mentioned this before but now the weather is getting warm at last she?s worried about smells, vermin etc. Basically they don?t seem to use their bin and just chuck their black bags in the yard ? they?re in a pile to the level of the window sills now and the neighbours also have a dog (which they never walk) who rips open the bags and scatters dirty nappies, leftover etc around as well as poos in the yard which they don?t clean up. It?s not pleasant to look at and I can?t imagine it will smell great either.

Neighbours are otherwise lovely according to my mum (I?ve never met them, they moved in last year and I live in a different part of the country). They have a toddler and a baby so get through a lot of nappies! Their house is apparently immaculate inside

The yard can only be seen from the upstairs of my mum?s house and one other house across the lane so she?s worried if she called the council they?d know it was her, plus these are private houses so not sure how much power the council would have? She has mentioned it to them in passing but they just say they?re going to get it sorted and never do. They also have an old sink, a couple of old gas bottles and some mouldy boxes in the front of the house (it?s a terrace with a small area in the front walled off from the street).

Any advice?

Just phone environmental health and ask them to go and take a look.

What quote said

It's what they're there for.

You can't afford to be too tolerant, because it is a health issue. It will be attracting rats, too.

We had a similar issue with a neighbouring property (not residential) which I was blase about until one summer evening a rat sauntered into my kitchen while I was sitting at the table! A couple of days later there was a dead rat in the street.

Your council's environmental health dept will probably tackle them about it on that basis, but if they are lovely why not speak to them about it?

I've told mu she should do that but she's worried about pissing off her naighbours (ffs) - it sounds disgusting though and it can't be good for them or their DC either. So what happens when you call environmental health? The yard has high walls so can't be seen from outside, I suppose they could check it out from my mum's house!

Yes, they'll check it out and give them X amount of time to clear it up.

Apologies for appalling spelling, my typing skills seem to have gone AWOL!

She has spoken to them about it but only in a hinting kind of way. She's very careful about not causing offence - I am going up there in a few weeks so I might have a word with them.

She needs to contact Env Health, that's minging. We have to keep doing it with our disgusting student neighbours.

If it's as bad as you say it must drink to high heaven so anyone could have called environmental health, who will be able to smell it even if they can't see over the wall.

Stink not drink

Would she lie and call environmental health to say she'd had a couple of rats in her garden? Presumably they would send out the 'rat man', who would see where the problem was coming from, and he would report it/

I'll suggest that to her! Wouldn't be surprised if it starts attracting rats, even though the dog is there too quite often. That's another issue entirely - they never walk him and if he's rooting through rubbish he could easily eat something that could hurt or poison him.