'Neighbour from hell' is evicted for using his garden as a scrapyard

‘Neighbour from hell’ tenant is evicted for using his garden as a scrapyard for four tons of rubbish and keeping axes in his house

• Mark Peto made lives a ‘misery’ by storing piles of rubbish in his council property
• Was evicted from house in Dursley, Gloucestershire, by Stroud District Council

A ‘neighour from hell’ tenant has been evicted after using his garden as a scrap yard – for four tons of rubbish.

Mark Peto made lives a ‘misery’ by storing piles of rubbish and even axes in his council property.

He was evicted from the property on Woodview road, in Dursley, Gloucestershire, following a court hearing where Stroud District Council was granted a Possession Order for the property.

For several years he used his property and garden as a scrap yard, storing flammable materials outside the property.

In February 2022 Gloucester County Court granted a civil injunction order requiring Mr Peto to remove items from the property and garden.

Mark Peto made lives a ‘misery’ by storing piles of rubbish and even axes in his council property

He was evicted from the property on Woodview road, in Dursley, Gloucestershire, following a court hearing where Stroud District Council was granted a Possession Order for the property

For several years he used his property and garden as a scrap yard, storing flammable materials outside the property

A power of arrest was later added to the order in May 2022 and weapons including axes were found at the property and removed by police.

He refused to clear the outside of the home, so SDC removed more than four tons of scrap metal from the rear garden.

Council Officers worked with both the police and fire officers to try and resolve this matter.

After careful consideration the council made an application for possession.

Neighbours have had to live with the risk of flammable materials being stored against their property as well as being unable to sell their homes due to the eyesore.

When approached by council officers Mr Peto was aggressive and was sent to prison in June 2022 after breaching his injunction order by assaulting a council officer.

Councillor Mattie Ross, Chair of Stroud District Council Housing Committee, said: ‘Over a prolonged period, Mark Peto inflicted misery on his neighbours with no thought or concern of his actions on others.

‘Whilst we always use eviction as a last resort, the council had no option in this case but to apply to the courts for a warrant.

‘This issue was finally resolved for the good of the community thanks to the hard work of all the agencies involved, for which I am very grateful.’

Cllr Lucas Schoemaker, Vice Chair added: ‘We are committed to providing homes for our communities – we would like to thank the residents who came forward and gave evidence in this case and for the hard work and perseverance by council staff in what was a difficult and complex case.’

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