Big fine for Wigan man who failed to tidy up his grot spot home

Richard Marklew, 55, of Woodview in Shevington, appeared before borough magistrates to plead guilty to failing to comply with a notice issued by Wigan Council on January 14.

The hearing was told that neighbours had complained about the state of the property compared to everyone else’s including a badly overgrown garden, ivy growing over parts of it including the roof, and external features including the porch being in a poor state of repair.

The notice gave him two months to carry out the following:

Cut all vegetation from front a rear garden to 150mm of the ground and dipose of it;

Remove all ivy from brickwork and the roof;

Replace or repair the front and rear guttering;

Prior to repainting, clean and prepare the porch door, its frames, window frames and fascia boards around it, removing any flaking paint and replacing any rotten or perished timbers with replacement woodwork ensuring they are are appropriate for repainting.

And on completion of the porch work, re-paint the door and frames, fascia board and around porch roof so they are "in keeping with the property and surrounding area and to abate the injury to the amenity of the area."

But the court was told that the March deadline for the improvements came and went without the instructions being followed.

Wigan Today pictures show that the work still hasn’t been carried out eight months later.

Marklew was prosecuted under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

He was fined £700, but when court costs and a victim services surcharge are added, the bill comes to £1,402.