Neighbours furious at landlord who's been ignoring the council for years

At a graffiti-scrawled terraced house on a village street, the windows offer a bleak view of the detritus inside. "That bottle of milk has been sitting out for years," said one neighbour with a shake of the head. "So has that packet of diced beef. God knows what it smells like in there." The rubbish amassed inside the house at 134 Caerau Road, in the former mining village of Caerau, came from a squatter who moved in several years ago, according to neighbours. "The owner then boarded up the back of the house to keep the squatter out, but his food and bedding were just left there," one told us. "It's been like that for years." Another neighbour described the neglect of the property by its absentee landlord, Andrew Spencer Thomas, as "pathetic". Locals estimate it is about a decade since the pebbledashed two-storey house had an official tenant. On occasions, youths have broken in because, as they sheepishly explained to one neighbour, they thought there might be ghosts inside. Last month, magistrates ordered Thomas to pay £5,950 after he was taken to court by Bridgend council, which has long wanted to purchase the building but has seen its letters and emails to the landlord repeatedly ignored. Thomas, a 53-year-old Swansea-based developer with various companies to his name, was prosecuted for failing to respond to questions about his interest in the land. He completely failed to engage with the Cardiff Magistrates' Court case and was found guilty in his absence. When we emailed Thomas – who according to the Land Registry has been the owner for at least 20 years – he told us he was "horrified to learn the extent of the current issues at the property", which he blamed on the "third parties" contracted to manage it. He vowed to take "urgent" action. The mess inside ranges from booze cans and grimy towels to toppled furniture and an open plastic bottle containing unidentifiable murk. Helping to date the clutter is a leaflet about getting ready for the 20mph default limit implemented three years ago. Neighbour Janet Roberts, 86, said: "What happens when I die and my kids try to sell this place, with that eyesore next door? I wish it would get knocked down. "It used to be a hairdresser's, and then probably more than 15 years ago it was converted into two flats. It's about 10 years since anyone lived there other than squatters. There have been drug addicts and dealers in there at times." The back yard is choked with tall weeds, beyond which are the boarded-up back door and windows. "Sometimes, in the early hours, youngsters climb onto the roof of my extension and run across to get into the derelict house through the window," said Mrs Roberts. "When I told them I knew their mother, they said, 'We are only looking because there are ghosts in there.' "People use the back garden as a rubbish dump and the council then has to get rid of it. It's all very strange. The owner should have an incentive to bring it back into use because there are premium rates on empty properties." Disused homes in Bridgend county can be hit with a council tax premium of up to 300%. Although a growing number of councils have been using such measures, the number of long-term empty homes in Wales has remained in "a gradual upward trend", with some 23,033 as of this year, according to the Empty Homes Network. Susan Hopkins, who has lived opposite the Caerau Road property for 52 years, said: "Young people can't get on the property ladder and they get charged high rent while there are empty houses like this." The 79-year-old, who before retiring was a cook at Caerau primary school , added: "It's derelict in that house and it causes problems with damp for the neighbours. People break in. There was a cannabis factory in there at one stage. I'd like to see the council take it over and have more penalties against the people who leave properties empty." According to online records the house was most recently sold in 2001 for a sum of £5,000. During the recent court hearing, prosecutor Michael Feeney said the council had been receiving complaints over its dereliction for more than seven years, and had been writing letters and emails to Thomas since 2023. The barrister said: "Due to the lack of a response, the council intends to explore enforcement options for securing ownership of the long-term empty property. Mr Thomas' culpability is high. He has stopped the council from getting the information it needs." The presiding justice, Reverend Mark Griffiths, imposed a fine of £3,500 as well as a victim services surcharge of £1,400 and prosecution costs of £1,050. But the magistrates decided Thomas would only need to pay at a rate of £100 a month because they knew nothing about his financial means, as he had not engaged with the court. Ellie Baskerville, a 27-year-old student living nearby, pointed out that the eyesore is one of a few derelict houses on the street. She agrees with the 'broken windows theory' that visible signs of disrepair and disorder can create an environment for antisocial behaviour and crime. "When stuff isn't maintained, people think no one cares," she said. "Kids round here throw eggs, smash windows. We had our doorbell ripped off. "I'd like to see the council do more compulsory purchases on empty houses and also put in something like a skate park so the kids have something to do." Thomas, of Queens Road in Sketty, emailed us a statement from his spokesman: "Mr Thomas is horrified to learn the extent of the current issues at the property, which is contracted out under a management agreement with third parties. As a result, Mr Thomas is undertaking an immediate review of the current management agreement, failures and the council enforcement proceedings so the matter can be urgently taken in hand and addressed." If you would like to tell us about a story we should be investigating, you can email our investigations editor at conor.gogarty@walesonline.co.uk Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice .