Neighbours at wits' end over garden full of filth

Mounds of rotting rubbish are festering in a Lincoln back garden and forcing neighbours to stay inside.

The split bin liners and soiled furniture have been mounting up in the St Giles garden for nearly a year to the growing disgust of nearby families.

Rodents are thriving in the mess on Geneve Avenue, meaning children in other houses cannot go out and play in their own gardens.

Mother-of-two Christina Barnes, who lives next door to the tip said: "I moved in last July and it has been like that since a few weeks after that.

"It is worse of the other side because they share the alleyway and when you walk down it flies just hit you in the face.

"My two kids like to play outside but I've found mice in my garden and the smell is terrible.

"Her kids don't really go out but mine like to and it is not fair on them."

Ms Barnes said that her children, aged four and eight, could not have friends over to play because of the state of the neighbouring garden.

"We can't really have people over because it is just so embarrassing and we can't have barbecues or anything like that," she said.

"Summer is the time when you want to use your garden but the smell and the insects just make it impossible."

The current heat wave is making the smell of the rubbish stronger.

Neighbours have even offered to help the house's resident, named locally as Anneka Long, clean up her garden and let her use their wheelie bins to get rid of the excess rubbish.

Ms Barnes said: "She just doesn't seem to care."

For more on the filthy garden, see Friday's Echo.