RESIDENTS on a close in Winsford are breathing a sigh of relief after a nuisance neighbour was evicted after years of mistreating animals.

Teri Baynes, 46, has caused four years of misery to residents of Lagos Grove in Winsford, according to Weaver Vale Housing Trust.

In 2015, as reported in the Guardian, the RSPCA had to remove 21 cats, a dog, snake and two rats from the property due to the conditions the animals were kept in.

The property was deemed no longer habitable due to an infestation of fleas and, as a result, had to be fumigated.

The RSCPA also confirmed in November last year that a dog and six cats were removed from the house.

A neighbour told the Guardian that RSPCA visits had been a regular occurrence.

The neighbour said: “The RSCPA were coming out every other week and taking animals off her but she kept just getting more and more. She’d have dogs tied up in the garden and shoved away in cages – not once would you see them being taken out for walks or anything.

“The whole place stinks. There’s rubbish and glass everywhere. There are bin bags piled up to the ceiling. There are bags outside filled with packs of bacon that have been there for years just festering.

“It’s such a relief now. We just hope somebody goes in there and treats the property how it should be treated.”

There were also numerous reported incidents of anti-social behaviour from Baynes towards her neighbours.

Despite repeated offers of support from the Trust and other partner organisations, Baynes refused to engage and obstructed the Trust in the pursuit of its duties.

This meant that the Trust was left with no option but to seek possession of the property.

Kevin Hanson, Team Leader for Tenancy Enforcement at Weaver Vale Housing Trust said: “This was a particularly difficult case for our staff, especially due to the conditions that these animals were being kept in.

“This case highlights that we are not prepared to tolerate behaviour that will have a negative effect our customers and neighbourhoods.

“We never set out to evict anyone, but as this behaviour happened over a sustained period of time, coupled with Miss Baynes refusal to engage with anyone, we were left with no other option but to pursue legal action.

“Her behaviour was causing nuisance and made life very unpleasant for her neighbours.

“This case involved a number of teams across the Trust and took up a considerable amount of time, and we have taken the firmest possible stance on this.”