Charge of nearly £3,000 made due to ‘horrendously overgrown garden jungle’ in Eastbourne

Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) said the £2,994 charge was made after a council order was ignored.

The EBC spokesperson added: “The property in Park Avenue was the subject of complaints from neighbours and despite the homeowner promising that the garden would be cleared within three months, nothing was done.”

EBC said its contractors had to cut through bushes to access the garden before starting the two-day clearance operation.

Cabinet member for place services Colin Swansborough said: “Taking enforcement action is a last resort, but those who ignore the advice of our officers should be in no doubt that we will take direct action if needed.

“Quite understandably some residents in Park Avenue wanted this horrendously overgrown garden jungle cut back.

“I’m all for giving wildlife a home and allowing the grass to grow and hedgerows to flourish, but this was beyond any reasonable interpretation of that approach to gardening.”

The charge on the house was made to cover the costs of the clearance work and will be recovered when the property is sold, according to the council.

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