AN eyesore overgrown garden of a city home left empty for more than a decade has been cleared up by the council to the tune of £10,000.

Worcester City Council has used special powers to step in and clear up an unkempt and overgrown garden at a house in Somers Road which had been empty for over ten years.

The homeowner's whereabouts are not known but the council says if it is unable to track down the owner then it could sell the home to recover the costs of the work and prevent further deterioration.

The council stepped in to carry out an extensive tidy-up of the garden after the owner failed to respond to the council’s 'tidy up' notice. It was served last November after complaints from neighbours.

A team cut back masses of out-of-control ivy and trimmed trees which were obscuring neighbours’ views.

John McMillan, who lives in the neighbourhood, said: “The front and back gardens of the property had been completely overgrown for many years and the house unoccupied.

“We’re very pleased that this action has been taken by the city council’s planning department.”

The extensive work, carried out by Enforcement Services Ltd, came after the owner was pursued for 18 months and cost almost £10,000.

Cllr Marc Bayliss, leader of Worcester City Council, said: “While the majority of empty properties are well maintained, this cautionary tale demonstrates that absent owners still have responsibilities to their neighbours and to the wider community.

“If your property has a negative impact on others, the city council can intervene and use available powers to remedy the situation.”

At the end of last year, the council agreed to triple council tax bills on city homes left empty for more than five years.

The council agreed to increase the amount it charges by 200 per cent from April for homes that have been empty for more than five years and 300 per cent for homes vacant for more than a decade.

Figures quoted last October show of the 485 empty homes in Worcester, 57 have been empty for more than a year, 50 have been empty more than two years and 25 have been empty between five and ten years.

A total of 14 homes have been empty in Worcester for more than a decade.

But as many as 283 properties in Worcester are classed as 'second homes', according to the council, which are empty but have been furnished and as a result are not forced to pay the extra council tax like an empty home would.

If an average band D property in Worcester, which would be expected to pay around £1,800 a year council tax, was left empty for five years the bill would increase to just under £5,500.

The same property would be charged roughly £7,250 if it was left empty for ten years or more.

The council already charges an extra 50 per cent on top of the normal council tax bills for homes which have been empty for more than two years.