Pensioner's life of grime: Workmen clear 100 TONS of rubbish from OAP's home

It's been a while since pensioner Merv Jones tidied up or vacuumed.

In fact, it's been so long that he might never have been able to find the Hoover amid the astonishing 100 tons of rubbish and bric-a-brac in his home - assuming he ever looked for it.



Every room in the terraced house was filled from floor to ceiling with mouldering junk. It was even piled up in the hall. Both front and back gardens were also a mess.





Officials clear pensioner Merv Jones's house, filled from floor to ceiling with 100-tons of rubbish, which made it almost impossible to get inside

After years of complaints from neighbours, council officials finally moved in to empty the building in Grimsby, filling skip after skip.



The extraordinary array of bric-a-brac had been collected over decades by the 73-year-old, including old rifles, ammunition and swords, along with hundreds of more ordinary items, such as dolls, electrical equipment, toys, pictures, books and ornaments.



As well as all the junk, there was a great deal of household rubbish. Windows were broken, pigeons had moved into the loft and bait traps had to be laid for the rats.

Mr Jones claimed: 'I wanted to clear it myself. I was trying to get it done.'

The pensioner was put up in a hotel while his house was emptied over three weeks. North-East Lincolnshire Council intends to reclaim the cost of the operation from him.



Mr Jones, left, looked on as workers cleared his house and is now set to be billed for the removal work



Filled to the brim: The bric-a-brac was piled so high it nearly touched the ceiling



Residents regarded the property as a blight on their neighbourhood. Alyson Thomson, 58, a sales manager, said: 'It is hard to imagine how he did it, but I believe he was living in the house. It has been complete hell being next door to him.'



She said that, as well as the weapons, council officials found propane gas and chemicals and had to stop work while the fire brigade was called in to deal with them. She also claimed six dog skeletons were found in the rubbish. 'On the day they started clearing he challenged me in the street, saying "what have you been saying about me?".



'I told him what I honestly thought and the police cautioned me,' Mrs Thomson added.

Council officials are believed to be investigating other addresses owned by Mr Jones.



A warrant for the house clearance was granted at Grimsby Magistrates' Court under the 1936 Public Health Act, which allows authorities to take control of 'filthy and verminous properties'.

The house has now been boarded up and it is not clear what Mr Jones will do with the property, which in a good condition would be worth around £100,000