Equipment dumped in garden (From Harrow Times)

Equipment dumped in garden

7:06am Thursday 20th March 2008 in

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HUNDREDS of pounds worth of council equipment has been left dumped in a communal Kenton garden, despite neighbours' complaints.

The equipment, cleared from an elderly lady's house after she died, includes a mattress, worth around £300, loaned from Brent Council's social services store.

There are also two commodes, an adapted toilet seat, a table "for ailment patients", and a quilt cover, littering the back garden, which is behind property in Clifton Road.

Leonor Torrez, a neighbour, said: "This is valuable stuff. It could be being used by someone who really needs it.

"But instead, it is sat in our garden getting wet.

"I am not asking them to come and clean away my stuff, but this doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the council."

Mrs Torrez, 35, said she has repeatedly called the council, asking them to come and clear the garden, which is communal, but no one has responded.

She said: "I have a 14-month-old baby who is going to start walking soon.

"It is not nice to sit in the garden, and I don't want my boy to be out there touching the things left on the grass."

Beatrice Ogidih, 71, moved into the vacant house, which is owned by Harrow Council, in December after its previous occupant died.

Her bedroom window looks out over the back garden.

She said: "I don't open my bedroom window anymore because it is horrible out here.

"I don't like to go out there because there is stuff all over the place.

"It's an eyesore."

Cheryl Curling, a spokesman for Brent Council, said the equipment was not issued by the council, although it is from their store.

She said: "We do collect equipment issued from our stores but have no record of having received a request to do so in this instance. We do reuse equipment if appropriate.

"Unfortunately if the call came into our StreetCare section, they may have assumed the caller was talking about dumped goods on private property in another borough which would have resulted in informing the caller we would not collect."

She advised Mrs Torrez to call 0208 937 4425, and council workers would come to collect the equipment.