Serious question - honestly.

We have the neighbours from hell who are always complaining to the council as they obviously have nothing better to do. In the ten years we have lived here we have had the 'gardening police' (when the house was rented) because we hadn't weeded the garden (I had a six week old baby at the time), the RSPCA, the council several times, complaints that our dog was howling the place down when she was at work with the OH and we could prove it. General and unjustified harassment!

Latest one is that we had an old bed and other items, emailed the council to have them collected, found out it now costs money and didn't get round to contacting them to pay. Next thing some jobsworth from the council has been round - bed and mattresses are likely to attract rats (forget about the empty repossessed house down the road where there are rats) AND there are two or three dog poos in the front garden.:eek:

Well it has peed down most weekends recently and we both work full time so gardening has not been high on the agenda. But what we need to know here is....

This is our house and our land. Yes we have dogs (3) and occasionally they do whoopsies in the garden. But can anyone tell me by what right the council can demand that we pick the poos up? Obviously we now have, and normally do, but I would be interested to know if anyone has any insight into the legalities of this. I just cannot believe that they have the right to walk onto someone's land and make such demands. Would HM the Q have the same problem with the corgis in her own garden for instance?

A local council can request certain things, even to private residents, because they have a "duty of care" to other residents in the street.

Waste and in particular vermin, are a problem which results in disease, and obviously they cannot allow that.

It does seem that you have become the centre of a hate campaign.