It is no wonder that an eyesore house in Eccleshill, which has stood empty for more than three years, has brought complaints from people living nearby. As its appearance has deteriorated, the value of their properties has been adversely affected. Now the father of the absent owner of the house has promised to tidy it up.

That news will be very welcome to residents in Moorside Road. However, the case raises the whole matter of the responsibilities of property owners for keeping their houses in good order, even if they are not living in them.

Councillor Peter Lancaster says he has taken up the issue of this particular house with the Council on behalf of the residents but was told that the authority was unable to intervene because it did not pose a health hazard. It could be argued that there should be no grounds other than health or safety for the Council to become involved; that if a privately-owned house is allowed by its owner to fall into a state of disrepair it has nothing to do with anyone else.

There are quite a few private houses around Bradford, not all of them unoccupied, which appear not to have seen a coat of paint, a window-cleaner's leather or a lawn-mower for decades. Their owners surely have a responsibility to the community not to let their property drag down the local area and undermine house prices.

If the present law does not allow the local authority to intervene and insist that the owner either tidies up or sells up, then there is a reasonable case to be made for the law to be changed.

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