World's worst hoarder ordered to clean rat-infested yard
A woman whose yard has become a rat-infested pile of junk has been ordered by her local council to clean up the mess following an outcry from neighbours.
Sharon Cochrane's property has become a hoarder's paradise in just two short years, with broken furniture, household appliances and bags of rubbish stacked to the eaves.
The property, located in the UK at Hunstanton, Norfolk, has become a source of anger for neighbours dealing with the impact the rubbish pile is bringing to their street.
'I appreciate there are laws and regulations but some people seem to live above them,' neighbour Tammy Edmunds told The Sun.
'The street has been suffering with this on and off for ten years and in the last five weeks its gotten worse.
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'It's a fire hazard and risk of health and safety.
'We've heard of rats from there spreading across to other properties which has meant pest control have had to come out.'
A supermarket trolley full of groceries had also been left in the yard and a damaged car is parked on the street as well.
Ms Cochrane, 66, says people should mind their own business.
'The world is going to hell in a handbasket and people care so much about my furniture on my own drive,' she said.
'I don't understand why people are so concerned.'
MORE: 'Evil': Stubborn Aus neighbour back in spotlight
Despite Ms Cochrane's protests, the local council has agreed 'direct action' can be taken if necessary.
A spokesman for the council said: 'The council is working with the owner to manage her property.
'Officers recognise that she has made an effort to clear the exterior and they will continue to support her to do this.
'However, they also have the council's authority to take direct action, which means that if it becomes necessary a clear-up can be undertaken, for which she will be liable.'
West Norfolk Council has served an enforcement notice ordering Ms Cochrane to clear up the mess.
If the council is forced to step in and clear out the mess on its own, Ms Cochrane will be liable for the cost and could lose her AUD $520,000 property help pay.
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Herald Sun
6 days ago
- Herald Sun
World's worst hoarder ordered to clean rat-infested yard
A woman whose yard has become a rat-infested pile of junk has been ordered by her local council to clean up the mess following an outcry from neighbours. Sharon Cochrane's property has become a hoarder's paradise in just two short years, with broken furniture, household appliances and bags of rubbish stacked to the eaves. The property, located in the UK at Hunstanton, Norfolk, has become a source of anger for neighbours dealing with the impact the rubbish pile is bringing to their street. 'I appreciate there are laws and regulations but some people seem to live above them,' neighbour Tammy Edmunds told The Sun. 'The street has been suffering with this on and off for ten years and in the last five weeks its gotten worse. MORE: Worst hoarder homes in Australia exposed MORE: Star wins neighbour dispute over sunroom in $7.7m home 'It's a fire hazard and risk of health and safety. 'We've heard of rats from there spreading across to other properties which has meant pest control have had to come out.' A supermarket trolley full of groceries had also been left in the yard and a damaged car is parked on the street as well. Ms Cochrane, 66, says people should mind their own business. 'The world is going to hell in a handbasket and people care so much about my furniture on my own drive,' she said. 'I don't understand why people are so concerned.' MORE: 'Evil': Stubborn Aus neighbour back in spotlight Despite Ms Cochrane's protests, the local council has agreed 'direct action' can be taken if necessary. A spokesman for the council said: 'The council is working with the owner to manage her property. 'Officers recognise that she has made an effort to clear the exterior and they will continue to support her to do this. 'However, they also have the council's authority to take direct action, which means that if it becomes necessary a clear-up can be undertaken, for which she will be liable.' West Norfolk Council has served an enforcement notice ordering Ms Cochrane to clear up the mess. If the council is forced to step in and clear out the mess on its own, Ms Cochrane will be liable for the cost and could lose her AUD $520,000 property help pay.
The Advertiser
04-06-2025
- The Advertiser
What happened to Madeleine? The search continues
The search for Madeleine McCann is due to resume in Portugal, near where the British girl was last seen 18 years ago. Fresh searches for Madeleine began on Tuesday, as teams drained a well and cleared areas of dense vegetation near abandoned buildings in countryside a few kilometres from the southern Portuguese resort town of Praia da Luz. Three-year-old Madeleine vanished while on holiday with her family in the Algarve resort on May 3, 2007, after her parents went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings. German investigators and Portuguese police officers and firefighters took part in the searches on Tuesday, as teams used strimmers, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris around an abandoned building, and drained a well using a yellow hose. About a dozen officers focused on one abandoned building where digging was taking place, while another member of the search team cleared large rocks. The Sun reported that investigators are also planning to use radar equipment to scan beneath the ground. It has been reported that teams will look where trenches were dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, at wells, ruins and water tanks, and that there are plans to examine 21 pieces of land. The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police, as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. About 30 German police, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search, with Portuguese officers, which is expected to last until Friday. The Metropolitan Police said British officers are not part of the search team. German investigators and Portuguese officers last carried out searches in 2023, near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 50km from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. It was previously searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it, after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there. British police were later given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished in 2014. "The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this," they said in a statement. The search for Madeleine McCann is due to resume in Portugal, near where the British girl was last seen 18 years ago. Fresh searches for Madeleine began on Tuesday, as teams drained a well and cleared areas of dense vegetation near abandoned buildings in countryside a few kilometres from the southern Portuguese resort town of Praia da Luz. Three-year-old Madeleine vanished while on holiday with her family in the Algarve resort on May 3, 2007, after her parents went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings. German investigators and Portuguese police officers and firefighters took part in the searches on Tuesday, as teams used strimmers, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris around an abandoned building, and drained a well using a yellow hose. About a dozen officers focused on one abandoned building where digging was taking place, while another member of the search team cleared large rocks. The Sun reported that investigators are also planning to use radar equipment to scan beneath the ground. It has been reported that teams will look where trenches were dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, at wells, ruins and water tanks, and that there are plans to examine 21 pieces of land. The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police, as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. About 30 German police, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search, with Portuguese officers, which is expected to last until Friday. The Metropolitan Police said British officers are not part of the search team. German investigators and Portuguese officers last carried out searches in 2023, near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 50km from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. It was previously searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it, after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there. British police were later given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished in 2014. "The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this," they said in a statement. The search for Madeleine McCann is due to resume in Portugal, near where the British girl was last seen 18 years ago. Fresh searches for Madeleine began on Tuesday, as teams drained a well and cleared areas of dense vegetation near abandoned buildings in countryside a few kilometres from the southern Portuguese resort town of Praia da Luz. Three-year-old Madeleine vanished while on holiday with her family in the Algarve resort on May 3, 2007, after her parents went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings. German investigators and Portuguese police officers and firefighters took part in the searches on Tuesday, as teams used strimmers, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris around an abandoned building, and drained a well using a yellow hose. About a dozen officers focused on one abandoned building where digging was taking place, while another member of the search team cleared large rocks. The Sun reported that investigators are also planning to use radar equipment to scan beneath the ground. It has been reported that teams will look where trenches were dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, at wells, ruins and water tanks, and that there are plans to examine 21 pieces of land. The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police, as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. About 30 German police, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search, with Portuguese officers, which is expected to last until Friday. The Metropolitan Police said British officers are not part of the search team. German investigators and Portuguese officers last carried out searches in 2023, near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 50km from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. It was previously searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it, after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there. British police were later given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished in 2014. "The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this," they said in a statement. The search for Madeleine McCann is due to resume in Portugal, near where the British girl was last seen 18 years ago. Fresh searches for Madeleine began on Tuesday, as teams drained a well and cleared areas of dense vegetation near abandoned buildings in countryside a few kilometres from the southern Portuguese resort town of Praia da Luz. Three-year-old Madeleine vanished while on holiday with her family in the Algarve resort on May 3, 2007, after her parents went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings. German investigators and Portuguese police officers and firefighters took part in the searches on Tuesday, as teams used strimmers, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris around an abandoned building, and drained a well using a yellow hose. About a dozen officers focused on one abandoned building where digging was taking place, while another member of the search team cleared large rocks. The Sun reported that investigators are also planning to use radar equipment to scan beneath the ground. It has been reported that teams will look where trenches were dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, at wells, ruins and water tanks, and that there are plans to examine 21 pieces of land. The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police, as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. About 30 German police, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search, with Portuguese officers, which is expected to last until Friday. The Metropolitan Police said British officers are not part of the search team. German investigators and Portuguese officers last carried out searches in 2023, near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 50km from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. It was previously searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it, after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there. British police were later given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished in 2014. "The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this," they said in a statement.
Courier-Mail
03-06-2025
- Courier-Mail
New police search begins in hunt for missing Madeleine McCann
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Portuguese and German police on Tuesday started a new search in the hunt for missing British toddler Madeleine McCann -- 18 years after she disappeared while on holiday with her parents. Madeleine, aged three, disappeared from an apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal, sparking an international campaign to find her and unprecedented media coverage. A previous search of a lake near the resort two years ago yielded no results, but on Tuesday investigators were back in a part of nearby Lagos to hunt for clues. Several police vehicles were seen driving down a dirt road and a Portuguese police spokeswoman confirmed that the search had begun, with about 25 German investigators present. The new searches are expected to continue until Friday and are being conducted at the request of German authorities investigating Christian Brueckner, a convicted rapist who is suspected of having killed Madeleine. According to the British tabloid The Sun, investigators are equipped with ground radar technology that can scan the ground down to 4.5 metres (15 feet) in depth. The area includes a cottage where Brueckner was living near the Ocean Club resort and undergrowth. The area is dotted with wells and ditches, it added. Portuguese police refused to comment on the report when contacted by AFP. A mobile phone registered in Brueckner's name was traced close to the family's accommodation on the night Madeleine went missing. - Determined - Brueckner, 48, is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape in 2005 of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz. His sentence is due to end in September. He was acquitted in October 2024 in Germany at trial for two sexual assaults and three rapes committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The German authorities in 2020 said they were convinced of Brueckner's involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, which gained worldwide publicity and has seen several false leads. He has not been charged in connection with the McCann case. Brueckner, who according to German media had a string of previous convictions, including for sexual offences, assault and theft, worked as an odd-job man during his 10 years in the Algarve, but also burgled hotel rooms and holiday apartments. At the time of Madeleine's disappearance he was living in a camper van. A former neighbour in Portugal told Sky News television in 2020 that he was "always a bit angry, driving fast up and down the lane, and then one day, around 2006, he just disappeared without a word". He returned to Germany in 2007 -- the year Madeleine disappeared -- settling in Hanover, but still spent time in Portugal. On the 18th anniversary of their daughter's disappearance on May 3 this year, Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann said they were still determined to find out what happened. "The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering," they wrote on the website. "We will do our utmost to achieve this." lf-mdm/phz/yad Originally published as New police search begins in hunt for missing Madeleine McCann
