Neighbours blast state of forgotten house

Oct 30 2009 by Edwin Lawrence

IT’S a blot on a neat street.

And incredibly this house has been empty for nearly 10 years.

Now neighbours are becoming increasingly worried about its impact.

“It must be full of dampness, and maybe vermin,” said one.

Sure enough ‘hopper’ windows are open in upstairs bedrooms.

And there is a large hole in the wooden eaves at the back of the house.

Cement over windows is crumbling, and gutters are leaking.

A massive hedge blocks the lounge window at the front.

And the back garden is completely overgrown.

If you take a peek through a window you’ll see at least a dozen phone books and yellow pages – still in their polythene wraps.

And a neighbour sometimes has to poke a broom handle through the letterbox, to clear blocked mail.

Neighbours also do their best to cut back overgrown foliage to keep paths clear.

Incredibly, this is a ‘bought house’ in Hicks Avenue, Maybole.

The street was built by the old Maybole Town Council, and dates from the late 1950s.

Hicks Avenue is now a mix of owner-occupied and rented terraced homes.

And the street is a credit to most of the residents.

Apart from number 43, that is.

A neighbour told the Post how the house had seen family drama and tragedy.

The couple who lived there apparently separated, and the woman died in her 40s, after battling personal problems.

The man briefly returned to the house, but then moved to Ayr.

“He used to visit once or twice a year to cut the grass and tidy up.

“But we haven’t seen him for a long time,” said a neighbour.

“I’m sure he won’t even be 60, and he’s always had good jobs.

“So I don’t think money would be the problem,” the neighbour added.

“I suppose it could be some kind of family legal wrangle.

“If not, it’s just pure neglect.

“And it’s a great shame to see what was a perfectly good house going to rack and ruin.”