This story was literally on my doorstep. When I first moved to Scunthorpe I was immediately alerted to the neighbours across the road whose house looked a little unkempt. I made a point of introducing myself to get them on side and things seemed to be okay.

However there was the odd occasion, such as when the underage son threw a can of Special Brew beer at my bathroom window for no reason which left a perfectly circular hole in the glass, which made me think.

Generally things were okay between us but I did notice a deterioration in the condition of their council property.

Things came to a head when they were threatened with eviction and mysteriously left.

Obviously I did the story but requested that my name was not attached to it and needless to say I was shocked when I realised the the actual state of the property and the cost of the clear up I had worked with Peter Allen previously on the subject of void council houses and on that occasion we found a crack pipe.

NORTH Lincolnshire Council faces a £17,000 clean-up bill to make this property fit for people to live in once more.

This is nearly a third of the value of the semi-detached house in Scunthorpe’s Henry Street which, according to housing officers, would fetch £60,000 on the open market.

The previous tenants left at the weekend, after being served with a possession order from the authority – meaning they would ultimately face eviction.

The Telegraph was invited into the property by the council’s voids manager, Peter Allen, to show readers the ‘worst property in the history of the authority’.

The carpets were sticky, there was an overpowering stench and a mixture of human and
animal waste in the rooms. Mr Allen added there was also evidence of structural damage to the building.

All the rooms were piled high with abandoned furniture, toys and clothing, and many of the inner doors had been ripped from their hinges.

In the bathroom, the bath had a build-up of limescale and the metal structure had rusted,
rendering it useless. The washbasin had also been ripped from the wall, leaving the taps hanging on copper pipes.

The downstairs toilet was almost full to the brim with waste and the door had been torn down, bringing some of the wall down with it.

Not one window had been left with all its glass intact.

Mr Allen said council tenants would effectively foot the bill for the clean-up, because repairs were funded from council rents.

Council workers were today due to start the clear-up by removing the abandoned kitchen appliances, toys, furniture and a bicycle which littered the overgrown front and back gardens.

Mr Allen confirmed the property was the worst void – or empty – property in the history of the council and he apologised, on behalf of the council, to the neighbours who had had to live next to it.

He said a specialist contractor from East Yorkshire would be brought in to safely clean inside the property and dispose of used drug paraphernalia which had been found there.

“When I came home last night I wanted to pack it all in,” he said. “It’s a kick in the teeth. I do take it personally.

“We have improved the situation a great deal over this past year and this sort of thing is absolutely awful. It makes you wonder what is next.”

He added: “For North Lincolnshire Council. I am ashamed this has been allowed to go on for so long, and I apologise to the neighbours for it.”

When I came home last night I wanted to pack it all in. It’s a kick in the teeth. I do take it personally.

Peter Allen.

Mr Allen said when he arrived to inspect the property several neighbours came out into the
street and they were cheering and clapping him.

He said the house would need to be completely scrubbed, rewired, and new plumbing installed.
It would also need a new kitchen and bathroom – a total bill of an estimated £17,000.

A council spokesman said the authority always attempted to recover the cost of any damage caused by tenants, but it could prove difficult as many tenants were on benefits and simply did not have the cash.

From the Scunthorpe Telegraph on Wednesday, July 7, 2004.