Smell next door from decomposing animal

[Fizzymoon67]

hi all,

At my wits end. The property next door to me has been empty for about 4 year and someone has dumped a bag containing a dead cat/dog in their yard. Its filled with maggots and surrounded with flies and we can't open any of our windows due to the horrific smell. Its so warm at the minute too its unbearable.
Being told by council/environmental health and police that there's nothing they can do. Councils environmental health have said because its not on council property it would be up to the landlord/owner and it would take a while to find out who is responsible. Meanwhile we just have to put up with it.

Any advice welcome as I've been down every avenue I can think of!

@WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat
Ooh clever!

@Catsup

But if you don't move it yourself it'll not go anywhere will it? You could be waiting months for it to decompose/be eaten enough by maggots for the smell to go. Then there's the rats, and the flies that have feasted on it coming in your house 🤮 buy a pair of decorating overalls from Wilko, a decent face mask, thick rubber gloves, and wear wellies. Scrap it up on to a shovel, and take a big bucket of water and disinfect to slosh the yard down. Also lay the rat traps.

Unlikely to take months in this weather. A week or two perhaps.

God just go and get rid it's just going to get worse 🤢

Environmental health haven't carried out their statutory duty. If there's a nuisance from smell they have a duty to investigate and take action under the environmental protection act. Phone them back! Phone your local Councillor too.

Can you lean out of a window and pour diesel on it then set light to the diesel by chucking a match. Maybe a pint or so. You don't want to burn the house down.

Shovel or roll it so it's no longer on their property, then pay pest control to remove it as the trespassing issue will no longer be a problem... have at least half a bottle of wine first though.

I also thought of phoning the police and saying you think there's a dead body, but if the police come and look and see it's just an animal I think they'll go off and leave it.

I'd move it myself - rubber gloves and doubled up bin bags, wash the area down with disinfectant afterwards - rather than suffer the stench, and I'd write to the owner. Hopefully they'll give you a number for them or the managing agent should there be any issues in future.

Probably a daft suggestion but would the RSPCA do anything? Obviously a bit late for their involvement but if this is a pet with a microchip it might be possible to track who dumped it. Incredibly callous of them to leave the poor thing like that, not to mention terrible for the neighbours.

Poor creature. How awful for you 😭

I would have said to the council that you weren’t sure if it was an animal but you can smell rotting flesh!

I think I would have to take it to the dump myself. It will be gross for a while but then at least it will be gone.

Wait, why do we think it's a cat or a dog?

Is it just me that has visions of MNetters turning up to help dressed like something from Line of Duty ... ?

If you know it’s definitely an animal, it’s a daft idea to call the police for something you could sort yourself, you just don’t want to.

1. It’s wasting their time
2. As soon as they open the bag and ascertain that it’s not a person, they’ll be on their way. They aren’t going to dispose of it for OP.

Dig a hole and bury it? Or put some soil on top and hope it decomposes quickly?

I'd try and pour a huge amount of soil/compost over it.

Why would someone do this??? Surely if they wanted to dump a dead animal they'd take it to a wood or something?
I would need to have it removed ASAP!! I'd be ringing local pest controllers or posting on Facebook looking for someone with a stomach of steel.. I'd pay out of my own money to just have that job done, making my stomach turn just thinking about it

get a shovel, use the soil around it to bury it, the higher the merrier.

you cannot put something like that in the domestic waste bin, it is against the rules. you could be fined.
ring a pest controller and pay them, also to traps in your garden.
do not set fire to it, or you could be up on a charge of arson.
you could try cover with sand/soil.
contact local councillor.
and get back to env health.

Did you get this sorted op?

Yep a close friend moved it for us and nearly vommed doing so like. Fat load of help environmental health were
Shouldn't need to do things like this

They are such a lovely friend. I'd definitely would have vommed repeatedly!
I am glad it's sorted though. It must have been horrible.

What a lovely friend, you definitely owe them one now. I'm glad it was sorted.

Ugh. What did you do with it? Not sure you could put it in the green bin

In fairness to environmental health, most offices have been totally cut back over the past 10 years due to local council cuts and most of the few people remaining are working with Public Health on Covid. So a little busy right now.