Eviction of Mrs Appleton (collector of dolls and memrabelia) and her three sons

This appears to describe the UK law on hoarding.

KEEP CALM HOARDING LAW

www.keepcalmtalklaw.co.uk/hoarding-posession-for-possessions/

Jalima Thank you so much for pointing out Charles Wade of the National Trust Snowshill Manor was a 'collector' He actually lived in the priests house in the court yard leaving the manor to be filled with treasures. Marvellous.

www.mysteriouspeople.com/Cotswolds_mystery.htm

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/snowshill-manor-and-garden

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowshill_Manor

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Paget_Wade
uk.pinterest.com/pin/568086940470367262/

walkingwilkes.co.uk/2015/11/01/snowshill-manor-near-broadway-cotswolds/

Anniebach I was not making teh comparisons you suggested.

I was stating a fact in that sometimes a tenants behaviour is so potentially dangerous to themselves or totally anti social towards others that serious action has to be taken.

The housing authority concerned has probably made as much effort as possible to protect the privacy of the family concerned.
The public rightly do not get the full details of the issues of concern that led the housing association to take this action. We annot and should not know the details.

This case is another situation where local press can tell sad heart rending tales about how mean the housing is being to the family with impunity.
What about those sons? I am quite sure they had some responsibilty to keep this property in good order. What the heck were they doing?

Emilyharburn Your points are sound but as for help for the family with things like this older persons social work services have been cut to the bone and barely function as it is.
Social workers in older persons teams were being made redundant in that area back in 2010 and largely replaced by box ticking clerical staff.

From the NT website:

Snowshill Manor is a Cotswold manor house packed with extraordinary treasures collected over a life time by Charles Wade

Charles had so many collectables that he had to move out of the house and into the adjacent cottage.

Of course, if she had her own very large house with plenty of room to display the items she could charge people for entry to her 'museum'.

Poor old soul, I do hope she gets the help that she obviously needs.

As I don't know them Ana I cannot say what they be expected to think, perhaps you have never knew a family where an adult son would never do anything against his mother's wishes. She may rule her sons completely, they may have agreed to support her and fight the authorities, i do know people do not always do what we would do or what we expect them to do or think what they should do.

Er...you'd think the threat of eviction would be a clue that she needed help, surely?

Could well be they didn't disobey her or thought she was right, we cannot judge them surely, we know nothing of them , and if they didn't think help was needed why ask for it

She's got three sons who should have been caring about her more before the situation got this bad, learning difficulties or not. They should have sought help.

I hope she will make the right decision for herself with support from someone who cares about her not the rule book

I am so glad this has not been the heartless and heart-rending story the DM perhaps first wanted to publish.
Another case of "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story"?
Bottom line is a happy ending for which I rejoice.

Thank you EmilyHarburn - it's exactly as some of us thought, no question of the old lady being thrown onto the streets because of a heartless council's actions.

Exactly, Jane. A 'three year eviction battle' doesn't suggest that the council acted without taking all the legal routes to try and resolve the situation. I suspect that as usual the public's just being fed the bare bones of the case in order to sensationalise the story.

Whatever the rights and wrongs (and I do see the risk of fire, the concerns of neighbours etc etc) I do think to break in to an old lady's house and frighten her half to death is not something that we, as a nation, can be proud of.

There is an updated statement froom Weavervale Housing www.wvht.co.uk/
They have met with the family today 26 They have put 27th

Statement from Steve Jennings, Chief Executive of Weaver Vale Housing Trust:

During a meeting on Saturday 27th March, Weaver Vale Housing Trust along with the local Vicar offered Mrs. Appleton the opportunity to return to the property as soon as practically possible.

Mrs. Appleton’s return would be subject to the house being made safe and for some items in the home to be placed in safe storage in line with previous requests made to the family.

While work is being carried out on the home Mrs Appleton is considering the offer of alternative local accommodation. We are pleased that the family and Weaver Vale Housing Trust have started this dialogue and we hope to now work together to resolve the difficulties at the house.

The Appleton family is now considering this solution

Great

I think the local primary school could help Mrs. Appleton if she was allowed to take her dolls to a suitable class and tell their story. If the children liked the dolls Mrs. Appleton might let them go for adoption! Then the children who had the dolls could write a card to her once a term telling her how the doll was getting on. Lets hope the vicar is successful.

I agree jane I expect other avenues had been explored and it was the last resort.Sad case.

I suspect that what happened to her was the last resort of an exasperated council. We don't know what lengths they'd been to before this. I really don't imagine that this was what anyone wanted to happen. Sensationalist media looking for a dramatic true life story and most likely glossing over quite a lot.

So now a lady who hoards momentos is compared with people who are drunk and urinate in a living room, nasty comparison

I don't think there was a hygiene problem with Mrs Appleby and her sons, it was her huge collection of toys, dolls, memorabilia etc. Although, of course, the more stuff around the more difficult it is to clean.

Yes, I do remember going to see an old lady many many years ago; she was unable to get into her four poster bed in the living room because it was piled practically to the ceiling with papers of all kinds and the room had a narrow passage to get through the piles of stuff. I didn't see the rest of the house but I believe it was even worse.
I don't know what happened to her as she was a a family friend of someone I used to know.

Have you seen the state of the houses some of these hoarders have created? They almost certainly present a health and fire hazard.
This looks like a house that is in a terrace.

There is a likelihood of infestations of vermin, bugs moths rodents or suchlike.

One of our GNrs had a dreadful time with her adjoining house. Hers was previously a council house but the state of our Gnrs property was being severly affected by the condition of the adjoining property. The safety of the structure of her own was at risk.

There was eventually a fire in the property which could have seriously damaged both parts of the semi detached.

I think a negligent home owner or tenant could be held responsible for damage to a neighbouring property if their home is neglected or potentially dangerous.

l feel sorry for these OCD hoarders but the property owners have to protect their buildings and the other tenants or home owners nearby.

I enountered an elderly lady in an upstairs flat who invited her alcoholic men friends into the flat and these people were peeing in the corner of the flat rather than bothering to go to the toilet.

The council, after many attempts at improving the situation the council had to evict her as it was to say the least unacceptable for the people below to have to live with this behaviour.

Good post Nananandgrampy, no way should the lady have been treated as she was

Well said N&G

I can see all the arguments for the removal of the lady and I can see that living next to her might be a worry and I can see that she has three sons who might/should/could have done something.

With my sensible head on I see and understand the rationality of that.

BUT are you telling me in this whole country there was not someone who could have made a difference without bashing down her door and frightening her half to death? That there was NO solution that didn't involve making her homeless?

For goodness sake whether she's mentally ill, a hoarder, or simply a frightened old lady - there HAD to be a better way. It would seem that it was the internal contents that caused for concern.I didn't see anyone say they had a rat/mice/flea infestation from the property. Hundreds if not thousands of people live next door to neighbours who are less than ideal.

We took years and years and millions and millions of pounds to get to the point of extraditing Abu Hamza back. Isnt this obviously needy old lady worth the same effort?

I just think that they have treated an old lady like a criminal and that they used a sledgehammer to crack a nut.