Annoying waste from neighbours

[Anonplease2023]

I'm after some advice.

I live on a fairly quiet street and I love my home and area, but there's just 1 issue. My neighbour.

He has a business which is basically getting rid of other peoples rubbish, which he has a truck for. Which he only empties like weekly, which is a real eye sore every morning. However, we move.

When he empties his truck/van thing he then sort of decides what to go to the tip and what to dump on his front garden, back garden etc. Which I know is his business but, currently have 2 dirty mattresses, 2 old fridges and old freezer TVs etc on his front garden, plus whatever he is storing in the house, back garden.

Now the issue, since the weather is changing I have noticed a rat. That comes from their garden into mine - I'm waiting for the dog to catch it 😫 I also have 2 small children and I'm sure it's coming from the mattresses as they are probably warm and cosy for them to sleep in.

Would this be an issue for anyone else? Or am I being extra? Would you report it? If so to who?

This hasn't been something that's just happened. I have been living here 6 years but it just seems to be getting worse. He keeps more and more stuff.

Thanks

Report to your local council and environmental health.

Is he allowed to run a business from his home address?

You’re not being extra and I’d definitely report to the local council.

He's probably breaching the conditions of his waste transfer licence, if he has one as if he does, it will probably require him to take things he collects straight to the end disposal point, rather than having it all handing around like this.

Or if he doesn't have a licence, he's in the waste business illegally.

Either way, I'd start with the waste people at your local council, and if it's not them, they'll know who does regulate this sort of thing.

I don't buy the 'it's none of your business if he wants mattresses and old sofas in his front garden' line. It's anti-social and everyone's business when someone ruins the environment for others. We had neighbours like this and they were horrible - and no, I didn't challenge them because they had threatened violence to other people.

I'd be cringing if I'd left rubbish in my front garden (or anywhere else for that matter) where other people had to look at it (unless it was awaiting an imminent collection, in which case I'd communicate with the neighbours to apologise and explain). It's totally anti-social - and anyway, should he be running a business like this from his home? Has he applied for 'change of use' for his property?

I'd rather live in a road of curtain-twitching Hyacinth Buckets than people as inconsiderate as this.

I am unsure if he is allowed to run it from his home but I've googled the business and it comes back with his home address.

I thought this too, I've tried to Google environmental health for my local council and theirs nothing about waste disposal so unsure of the next step.

The van has never been empty there's always things laying around in it. Sofas, mattress, electrical items.

Contact the council. They have an envirocrime department, this would certainly come under that.

@Anonplease2023 When you say you've 'googled the business' is this his website offering the service, or where his licence is registered

He can be very aggressive and passive aggressive too.

I've made comments in earshot about the rubbish and running the area for others but nothing changes.

I equally try to pick up rubbish and put it in our bins so the area stays decent looking, I also never leave rubbish around and when I do it's because of refurbishments and we get rid the same day. But I'm more worried about the vermin that it seems to be attracting. I've never seen a rat in my garden until recently and I can only connect it to the amount of rubbish in the van/truck, front and back garden 🙃

Like if you look at my street on Google maps, it comes up with a pointer and the name of his business. I'm not sure if it's his license or just the services

I started off thinking that you should leave the poor guy to run his business, but if there are rats thats different.

not much bothers me when it comes to neighbours, Ive lived next door to students, squatters and drug dealers with no real issues, but, rats that will most likely start to get worst would start to annoy me I think.

Sorry, the cat pressed post before I'd finished. To carry on:

https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

Conditions for exemption for storing waste, which probably can't use:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/waste-exemption-nwfd-4-temporary-storage-at-a-collection-point

I can't find the waste transfer licence conditions online, but it is very likely that he's supposed to either take it straight for disposal or keep it tidy and secure while he stores it, if he's allowed to store it at all. What you've described is almost certainly breaching the regulations.

Thank you.

I've literally let him run his business for 6 years but it does seem to be getting worse with the presence of rats and dirty mattresses/fridges/freezers which are adjacent to my front door 😄

Thank you.

Doing a search it looks like there's no license

Mattresses are most likely the culprit like you say, warm housing for rats😬

Add in normal household waste and they are bound to multiply!

I would report that to the council.
We had someone around here who was constantly cutting up wood with a chainsaw in the communal parking area. He'd collect old wood and bits of trees and who knows what, chop it up into firewood and then sell it. It was going on all day everyday and there was mess everywhere.
I was on the point of phoning them when all of a sudden it stopped and the guy cleared everything away so I assume someone else had complained.

People shouldn't be sorting rubbish in their front garden and leaving stuff lying around until they take it somewhere to sell or dispose of.

Report the rats to Environmental Health, no need to mention him they can see for themselves when they visit.

Just because he has registered ownership of the business at his home address, doesn't mean he has planning permission to run it from there. I sincerely doubt he'd have been granted permission to do so in a residential area because of the disturbance to others. I'd start looking into it and I'd feel no guilt about trying to get him to move to a suitable premises when he has shown no consideration for his neighbours.

He would need all sorts of permissions and licences to hold waste on his land, I doubt he has any, report him.

He would need a waste management permit to do what he is doing which he would not get at a residential property. Contact the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 who regulate this.

They do say that you're never more that 12 feet from a rat. We just don't see them, usually.
However, what this man is doing is anti-social, un-neighbourly, possibly criminal if he doesn't hold the licences, and even if he does and is in contravention of the terms of it.
You should NOT have to live next door to this, BUT it is quite one thing to get something done about it.
If he does this kind of thing, then he will hardly give a how it affects you or anyone else, I am sorry to say.
Most Councils will deal with a rat problem, but there is a charge. and of course, they will come back, have babies etc, unless the source is dealt with.
(Aside - rat poison is spectacularly cruel).
But your local Community Safety/Neighbourhood Dept (within the Council) might be able to help with getting something done, maybe fines (to the man or his landlord) and clean-up orders, especially if the business is not truly legitimate.

Start with your local councillor. Local elections are coming up, so I suspect they will be extra keen to help you at the moment.