Cleaned out

By Bridget Cook
WASTE management workers moved in to clean-up a Hampton Park property last week, after a hoarder failed to clean-up his act.
The resident, whose property is on the corner of Willow Drive and Hallam Road, pleaded guilty at the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court in July to charges relating to inhabiting an unsightly property, wilful damage and traffic offences.
As the resident did not comply with the order to clean up, council officers moved in to have all offending items removed from the property in accordance with the court order.
The property was taken to landfill and the resident will be charged for the clean-up.
City of Casey community development director Sophia Petrov said the council could undertake a clean-up of a property where materials or goods on nature strips or the owner’s property were likely to cause a risk or are deemed unsightly.
“The council can enter and remove the risk,” she said.
Casey councillor Wayne Smith, who attended the clean-up last Friday, said the resident became quite upset when his property was being taken.
“Police were called to the scene as the man became agitated,” Cr Smith said.“At one stage he jumped into the waste management truck and got the keys and threw them onto the neighbour’s roof.”
The man then had to use his own ladder to retrieve the keys.
Cr Smith said the problem had been an ongoing battle between the council and the resident.
“Everyone is very supporting of what the council are doing,” Cr Smith said.“Most of the neighbours are just fed up. They all say he is a nice enough guy, but they have had enough of the rats, and the mess and the smell coming from the property.”
Cr Smith said while he was pleased council could intervene, he was sympathetic for the resident. “I felt sad for him, because he was visibly upset about losing his possessions,” he said.“But it’s about the overall good of the neighbourhood and health of the community.
“It’s a temporary win for the council, but it always seems to come up again.”
At the hearing in July, the defendant pleaded guilty to five charges and was ordered to pay $1186 in costs, which included restitution costs to the council for the damage he caused to the nature strip at the front of his property.
The resident was given an ultimatum at the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court – clean-up his property or face serious legal consequences.
Through the perseverance of council officers over a number of years, the resident fronted court on a number of charges relating to inhabiting an unsightly property, wilful damage and traffic offences.
The resident was convicted of five charges, however no monetary penalty was imposed.
Instead, he was released on an undertaking to be of good behaviour for two years and must keep all his goods and chattels within the boundary of his property, keep his property in a clean and tidy manner as directed by City of Casey representatives, and undertakes to perform the necessary tasks to keep his property clean and tidy as lawfully directed by them on request.