Cranfield woman fined £2,000 after neighbours kick up a stink over garden rubbish and dog mess

Joanne Flynn, of Millards Close, was served with a Community Protection Notice by Central Bedfordshire Council’s Antisocial Behaviour Team following complaints about noise and her back garden.

That was after she allowed large amount of rubbish to be dumped there – presenting a fire hazard – as well as large amounts of dog mess.

Flynn was repeatedly asked to clear the rubbish and make the garden safe but refused to do so.

Conditions became so bad that neighbours were unable to allow their young children to go out into their garden because of the smell.

They even had to stop their dog using a dog run because of the rubbish spilling into their garden.

Flynn was taken to court last year and fined for breaching the notice. But that had no effect and when she started adding food waste to the rubbish that increased the risk of vermin, with a neighbour spotting a rat nearby.

With neighbours at wits’ end, having to keep their children indoors at all times and not even able to open their windows in warm weather, the council took further action against Flynn.

At Luton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (March 27) she was found guilty in her absence of four breaches of the notice and fined £1,000, ordered to pay £890 in costs and a £100 victim surcharge.

Magistrates also imposed a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order which states she:

> Must not act in an anti-social manner, including noise nuisance

> Must not allow excessive waste or dog waste to be at her address

> Must clear the garden and bring it to an acceptable condition.

Councillor Ian Dalgarno, Executive Member for Community Services, said: “We try and work with residents to ensure that complaints of anti-social behaviour are dealt with quickly and amicably. Taking legal action is the final straw when nothing else has worked and warnings have been ignored.

“This case shows that the council takes anti-social behaviour very seriously and we will do everything we can to reduce it.

“If you have any concerns about antisocial behaviour in Central Bedfordshire you can contact the council’s Community Safety Operations Team on 0300 300 8302. All reports are treated in the strictest confidence.”