OAP may face action on home
THE elderly owner of a house that has gone to rack and ruin faces fines of £40 a day unless he cleans it up.
Frail Tony Woodford faces enforcement action over his Emsworth house, which has been empty for about 35 years.
Windows at the house in Fairlea Road are boarded up, the kitchen is full of buckets collecting water, fences have blown over, and broken glass litters the overgrown garden.
Neighbours say youths regularly break in and smash windows with bricks.
Fed-up neighbours have lost patience with having the run-down property on their doorstep and now Havant Borough Council is set to step in. Officers are recommending that councillors give Mr Woodford an ultimatum to repair the crumbling house, or face a fine of 40 a day if he fails to comply.
If he still refuses to tidy up his act the council has the powers to do the work for him and then present him with the bill.
Failure to pay that could end up with a charge being levied against the property so when it is sold the council gets its money back.
Mr Woodford does not live in the house but visits daily to pick up his post and milk.
Neighbours believe he lives on Hayling Island.
Sarah Brooks, 45, who lives next door, said: 'For us the main concern is that it is a fire hazard.
'That is the one thing that we are very worried about.'
Many Fairlea Road residents are furious that the house has been able to get into such a dreadful state over the decades and five years ago put together a petition but nothing was done.
Tony Beasley, 74, wrote to the council earlier this year to demand action.
His letter stated: 'The appearance of this semi-detached house is a disgrace to the area and other properties in this close.'
Neighbours have even offered to buy the house, worth about 200,000, from Mr Woodward but he simply says he plans to move back in one day.
In a report to councillors Havant's planning officer Bob Dawes said: 'The house occupies a prominent position at the corner of Fairlea Road and the building has been steadily falling into a dilapidated state for a period of time.
'It is now significantly unsightly and seriously detracts from the visual amenities of the area.'
He has recommended planning councillors take enforcement action at their next meeting on Thursday evening, giving Mr Woodford three months to make repairs.
Mr Woodford, who walks with the aid of a stick, and his wife Rita declined to talk to The News.
He has told the council he cannot afford to repair the house.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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