**Cardiff Council Issues Ultimatum to 80-Year-Old Homeowner Over Hoarding Concerns**
An ongoing dispute in Cardiff has reached a new phase as local authorities ramp up efforts to resolve concerns over a property reportedly cluttered with rubbish and overgrown plants. William Glyn Cross, aged 80, has now been served with a criminal behaviour order, granting council officers authority to enter his home forcibly and carry out a long-delayed clean-up.
Residents of Spring Grove in the Thornhill area first drew the council’s attention to Mr Cross’s property back in 2022, describing the garden as unkempt to the point of resembling a ‘jungle’. Local complaints centred on the accumulation of various items and vegetation, with neighbours expressing fears that the neglect was encouraging vermin and negatively impacting the community’s well-being.
Cardiff Council’s Shared Regulatory Services (SRS), responsible for enforcing public health and environmental standards, issued Mr Cross a legal notice in July 2022, demanding that the garden be cleared of waste. The notice warned that failure to comply would authorise the council to step in and recover the cost from the homeowner. However, contractors dispatched by the council reportedly faced resistance from Mr Cross, who refused them entry onto his property, preventing any clearance work from proceeding.
Despite receiving a £250 fine last August for initially failing to meet the council’s demands, Mr Cross did not alter his stance. Court records indicate further legal proceedings, including a March 2025 hearing at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court, which Mr Cross did not attend, resulting in the case’s adjournment to late April. Most recently, the court imposed an additional £100 penalty, clearly signalling the authorities’ mounting frustration with the prolonged standoff.
Councillor Norma Mackie, the cabinet member overseeing Cardiff’s Shared Regulatory Services, shared the council’s perspective on the situation: “The state of the back garden is causing unnecessary suffering to neighbours and has persisted for around two years. We have made several attempts to offer assistance, but each time our contractors tried to help, access was refused. With the criminal behaviour order now in place, the council is equipped with the powers needed to resolve the matter directly, by force if necessary.”
The council states it remains hopeful of reaching a collaborative solution, highlighting that forcibly entering private property is viewed as a last resort. “Ideally,” Cllr Mackie commented, “we would like Mr Cross to work with us so we can address the issue without further conflict and restore a better local environment for everyone involved.”
The controversy surrounding Mr Cross’s garden has not been without personal emotion. In comments reported previously, Mr Cross agreed that the property needed clearing but insisted he wished to do so in his own time and way. He described the prospect of an official, enforced council clean-up as “desecration,” underlining the sensitive and personal nature that such hoarding disputes can take on.
Across the UK, incidents involving alleged hoarding have presented complex challenges for local authorities. Balancing individual property rights with the demands of public health and neighbourhood amenity can be contentious. In similar cases, councils emphasise support and engagement with property owners before resorting to legal action.
With the criminal behaviour order now in effect, the forthcoming days are likely to prove decisive. The situation stands as a microcosm of the broader, countrywide debate about community standards, vulnerable individuals, and the difficult mechanics of enforcement. Regular updates from Cardiff Council are expected as the authority moves to resolve an issue that has evoked strong feelings on all sides and attracted considerable local attention.
Whether Mr Cross agrees to cooperate or the council proceeds with a forced entry, this story highlights the dilemmas shared by many towns and cities—how best to support the most vulnerable while ensuring standards are maintained for all.