A GRANDMOTHER has won a battle to have the “disgusting house” next door to her cleared up and its tenants removed.

Piles of rubbish dumped at both the front and back of the terraced house in Moorfield Grove, Tonge Moor, were attracting rats and swarms of flies.

Needles, dog waste and rotting food were among the rubbish, while the house’s windows were smashed and the back door was hanging off its hinges.

Despite such horrific conditions, the house was still inhabited until the tenants left after Bolton Council stepped in to clear the waste and secure the house at the end of July.

A notice had been served to the tenants on June 2 to clear the waste which they ignored.

The house is privately owned and was being rented out, with its landlord, who could not be contacted, understood to be living in the south of England.

A council spokesman added that legal options were being pursued to ensure the house was not rented out again until repairs are carried out.

Vivian Moores, aged 60, who lives next door to the nightmare house, said: “There were a lot of flies and the smell was disgusting.

"All the windows are smashed — I have been living next door to it for two years, but just recently it was the worst it’s been.

"It is absolutely disgusting. I couldn’t open my windows or back door because so many flies come in — I can’t even peg my washing out.”

Mrs Moores, who has three grown-up children and 10 grandchildren, said the house’s disrepair was “showing the street up” and was stopping the smallest members of her family from playing outside in the hot weather.

She added: “I have complained about the situation to the council, I think the whole street has complained about it at some point.

“My daughter lives three doors down and she and the lady opposite have complained.

“People from the council have been down lots of times but they’ve not been able to sort it.”

A council spokesman said: “We served an abatement notice on the tenants on June 2 requiring them to remove the rubbish.

“However, as no action was taken by the tenants we removed the waste ourselves on July 29.

“We also boarded up the property, and made it secure and the tenants have now left.

“We are now considering our legal options to make sure that the property is not rented again until necessary work has been undertaken.”