‘Eyesore’ home swallowed by trees for 40 years finally cleared

Residents are breathing a sigh of relief after a house with 40 years’ worth of overgrowth has finally been cleared.

The ‘eyesore’ end-terraced property was covered in a blanket of foliage after trees, weeds, and ivy overtook it in King’s Norton, Birmingham.

The previous owner neglected to cut back the plants, which soon grew out of control.

The home, in King’s Norton, Birmingham, was rendered virtually invisible after its “nature-loving” owner neglected to cut back the plants, which then grew out of control for decades.

Last year, the three-bedroom property on Walkers Heath Road was sold at auction for £150,000 after the previous homeowner, aged in her 90s, went to live in a care home.

Startling before and after pictures show how it’s now been turned into two neat rental flats following a monumental gardening job to remove the huge mass of greenery.

Neighbour Vivienne Attwood, who previously described it as like living ‘next to West Midlands Safari Park’, said: ‘It looks a hell of a lot better, that’s for sure. The new landlord came in, and then with the help of a couple of friends, they were able to clear it all up in a couple of months.

‘They had to put a new roof on as the ivy had grown through and sort the rendering out. It was some gardening job, but they did it quite quickly really, I was surprised.’

Photographs taken last year showed the front garden overrun with plants and only the front door and a satellite dish visible.

Now, only a single tree remains in the front garden after its new owner completed the mammoth clear-up operation.

Mum-of-four Vivienne, who works as a doctor’s receptionist, said previously: ‘My husband trims it back whenever it encroaches, and luckily we’ve stopped it getting into our roof.

‘It’s good for wildlife but not for my guttering and roof. We moved in 40 years ago and it was just allowed to grow and grow from there. But she used to have somebody in to trim it back until about 10-15 years ago when it was left completely untouched.’

Vivienne said people used to stop daily as they ‘couldn’t quite believe it’.

Another local, who did not wish to be named, added: ‘It became somewhat of a local landmark – you had to see it to believe it.

‘But it wasn’t nice for the direct neighbours, so everyone is pleased it has been tidied up now.

‘I’m all for letting nature flourish, especially in urban areas, but that was definitely too much. You couldn’t even tell a house was there.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.