HOUSEHOLDERS in Worcester are being reminded to keep their gardens tidy.

Worcester City Council is warning it will use its powers to ensure yards are free of litter and waste.

The reminder comes after the council successfully ensured the clearance of a front garden in Avon Road, Tolladine last week. The landlord of one of the properties in the street had filled up his garden with a large amount of litter and unwanted goods, including a fridge, two fridge-freezers and a stool.

Despite requests and visits from the council to remove the items, which were creating an eyesore and environmental damage, the owner did nothing.

The council served a litter clearing notice on the landlord giving him formal notice to either remove the goods or be issued with an invoice for the cost of having them removed. Failure to comply the notice could have lead to court action and a possible fine.

The notice had the desired effect - the property owner finally cleared his garden.

Mike Harrison, head of cleaner and greener at Worcester City Council said: "It is very disappointing when residents leave goods such as this outside their property.

"It looks terrible and has potentially harmful effects on the local environment. Neighbouring residents who spot similar situations should contact the council as soon as possible and we will attempt to deal with the situation. Keeping the city clean and green is one of our top priorities and it is better if we can remove problems before they get to the court stage - but we will certainly take any legal measures we can to get the message across that we will not tolerate this type of behaviour."

Councillor Geoff Williams, ward member for the Gorse Hill area, said: "We are very pleased these goods have now been removed from the property in Avon Road and hopefully this swift action will serve as an example to others who are tempted to use their garden as a waste ground.

"The vast majority of people in the Gorse Hill area don't want to see this kind of thing bringing down the area."