Neighbours dumping rubbish in open plan front garden

[LoveWasAccidental]

Our relationship with our neighbours is not great, partly because they keep doing annoying stuff (parking on our drive without asking, waking us up at 6 am every morning, etc) and we keep asking them not to, which seems to piss them off. But I wasn't sure whether it was reasonable to be annoyed about this or not?

We have open plan gardens which run across the front of the house. No fences or hedges or anything, just grassy areas and in our case a driveway which are open onto the street. Two weekends ago they obviously had a bit of a clear out and put about 8 bin bags and a stained old mattress in their front garden. The council won't collect household junk like this and so it has sat there since, in the rain etc. It looks gross and every time I look out of the window it is setting my teeth on edge.

From experience it may well be there until it rots into the ground. They've dumped other rubbish in the garden before and it has stayed there for months or literally rotted away... but a mattress just seems especially horrible.

What would you do?

It seems odd to have a clear out ( implying they can be house proud) and then leave the rubbish to rot . Maybe they are frustrated and trying to arrange collection of it?

They often clear stuff out but either take ages to dispose of it or don't dispose of it and leave it where they have dumped it. Their house is absolutely unbelievable inside - literally like something from a hoarders' programme. I guess they clear stuff out to make way for more crap? I have no idea.

I've had a similar situation to this myself. I was told that unless there was a vermin infestation then what a neighbour does on their own property was legal.
If you have had a disagreement before they might be doing this to annoy you.

Or maybe they are just selfish to neighbours. But legally they can dump what they want on their own property.

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Is it their front garden? You say open plan but is it a communal garden of theirs?

You can’t tell them to move rubbish out of their own garden

If they rent contact their landlord? I wouldn’t be impressed if someone was treating my property that way.

Thanks Bella, that does clarify matters. We have had mice infestation before and the council people came and had words with them, but nothing changed.

I don't think they are doing it to annoy us, I think they're just generally scuzzers!

Thanks Capri, yes it is their garden, and no racecar, they don't rent it.

Looks like I just have to put up with irritation! It's funny because I thought the council would be down on this as a health hazard to dump rubbish, but I can see I was mistaken.

You know the rules, OP. Diagram or it didn't happen.

We are in the same position. Her mother bought the house and they rent from her. Rubbish in the front garden for over three months now. The Garden is now overgrown and there are actually weeds growing in an old duvet. Fortunately there is a boundary where we have some shrubs and this week I spent £100 buying more decent sized shrubs (quick growing) to fill in a few spaces. During the summer he told me that he's have floodlit decking installed at the back by September. No movement on that score. Guess he'd have to clear up two years of dog poo first.

My council collects rubbish like this but make a charge. I understand your worry as rubbish attracts rats etc.

Have a look online but I think you should contact your environmental health dept and send them a photo. In your situation it is on ground open for children to access, if its a sprung mattress and starts to rot then kids could get hurt.