A MAN has been kicked out of his Lenton Abbey home for having an untidy garden.
The back yard of Kevin Kime's rented house was littered with plastic sheeting and broken fencing, with hedges growing wild.
The lawn was overrun with brambles, a broken basketball hoop lay against a fence and a set of table and chairs was partially hidden among black bags filled with rubbish.
The Romilay Court resident had been given warnings by Nottingham City Homes for two years about the state of his garden but he did nothing to tidy it up.
And the organisation, which runs council housing in the city, said this was the first case of an eviction for an untidy garden for seven years – after getting a court order in late October to boot him out.
NCH director of housing Gill Moy said: "Our tenancy agreement is very clear that the customers are responsible for maintaining their gardens.
"Mr Kime's failure to act left the judge with no option but to conclude that it was unlikely there would be any improvement in the condition of the garden, so he granted us an outright possession order to evict Mr Kime from his home."
Mr Kime left last month and the property is now being cleaned and garden cleared before it is let out again.
Residents living nearby said they were glad it had been sorted.
Michael Edwards, 22, rents a bedroom in a house on Aston Avenue and said: "That can't have been nice to live next to.
"I know for most people looking after a garden isn't a top priority, but that's just ridiculous."
And shop worker David Winchester, 27, of nearby Baslow Drive, added: "That does look out of order, but I don't know if kicking someone out of their home for that is a bit extreme."
Local councillor Sam Webster said: "Gardens that are left completely neglected have an impact on other residents and bring down the area. From time to time we get feedback from residents in Lenton Abbey and they ask for more robust action in serious cases."
One neighbour on Romilay Court said: " I noticed it didn't look great when I cut part of the hedge down but it didn't smell or anything like that."
And another resident added: "You didn't notice the problem because of the high hedges but these pictures do look pretty bad."
The Post says...
EVICTIONS for untidy gardens are rare but a Nottingham City Homes tenant has been turfed out of his home for precisely that - the first expulsion of its kind for seven years.
It may appear harsh to give someone their marching orders for an unkempt garden. It's not as though structural damage has been caused. But rubbish-strewn properties have an impact on other residents.
Kevin Kime lived at Romilay Court, on the Lenton Abbey estate. Most residents of that estate take pride in their homes and there are some very well kept houses.
It must be galling when one or two residents let the whole street down with waste and litter at the front of their house. Not only does it give an appalling impression of an area but it also undermines everyone else's efforts to make the best of where they live.
In this case, the lawn was overrun with brambles, a broken basketball hoop was up against the fence, and a table and chairs were partially hidden among black bags filled with rubbish.
Some may say they have seen worse and they would be right. However, NCH is right to take a firm line. The organisation points out there are tenancy agreements in place and residents are required to keep their properties tidy.
Furthermore, there is support for people who cannot manage gardens themselves and NCH says that before it took action, it gave plenty of warning.
The appearance of an area has a major bearing on residents' quality of life. If someone is undermining that, then it is best they leave.
