My neighbour’s rubbish is blowing into my garden and stinks – I’m scared rats will infest my backyard

KEEPING your own garden tidy, and show-home ready can be enough of a chore, without having to clean up after your neighbour too.

Your outside space can be a beautiful extension of your home, but only if you keep it mess free.

But rubbish which has been left piled up in a garden is always cause for concern as it could attract things like rats, mice and other pests.

That's exactly what happened to one when they revealed that their neighbour's rubbish had been blowing into the garden.

And it was starting to stir up quite a stink.

The stink wouldn't only have come from the piles of rotting garbage left strewn across the grass, but a bitter dispute was definitely brewing too.

The user said: "I have the same problem on bin day.

"The wind always blows everyone's trash into my yard. Mine seems to be the biggest and has a slope that seems to catch everything.

"Sometimes I pick it up and throw it away myself but one day I got so fed up I hand delivered it back to the neighbor."

But Brits are starting to enjoy their outside space more and more now that the warmer weather is on the way, so you might find yourself is a similar situation.

In this situation the resident had their own solution.

They said: "After two years I started putting heavy rocks on the bins so they can’t blow open."

What can you do though? And what are your rights? We explain.

What are my rights?

Rats having the run of your garden obviously poses a major health hazard, as you run the risk of infestation as well as attracting a whole host of other unwanted pests.

But there is good to come of it as the Environmental Health Department can step in and forcibly order your neighbours to get rid of any rubbish if they are breaking the law.

And legal action can ensue if they fail to make any changes.

BUT before you get that far it's worth taking the time to talk to your neighbour first.

You cannot trespass onto the gardens of neighbours to remove any rubbish or foliage yourself.

Of course, you can pick up the rubbish that's made its way onto your property yourself, but it might be worth having a chat to raise the issue with them as a first port of call.

Most disputes with neighbours about the state of a garden can usually be resolved by having a polite conversation with them.

In fact, most people whose gardens are a bit overgrown and unkempt are often oblivious to the fact that their garden is causing a blight on the neighbourhood.

And a quiet word is often enough to get them to do something about it.

What can I do about it?

If simply speaking to your neighbour hasn't quite cut the mustard then you might want to take a more active approach to stop the problem.

An easy way to do this might be to strengthen the boundary between your homes to forcify the barrier and hopefully stop more rubbish making its way over the line.

"Put a small hedge and/or plants around the garden," said experts from .

"It will look good and at the same time create a wind break, some privacy, prevent the rubbish, along with capturing pollution. And it will add value to your property and road."

You could also think about making your fence stronger or taller to stop any unwanted pests making their way in.

But the issue of who owns what bit of the fence and whose responsibility it is to maintain it has cropped up time again - leading to some ugly disputes too.

One mum was furious after her neighbours took their fence down altogether, leaving her with "no privacy".