The boss of a waste disposal firm has given a glimpse into the "worst" house clearance he's ever undertaken.
Shaun Dingle, who runs Dingle's Waste Disposal, has been contracted to clear the two-bedroom terraced house in Blackburn, which was previously occupied by a group of squatters.
Workers were unable to access both the front room and kitchen because they were full to the ceiling of rubbish, Lancs.Live reports.
Shaun's brave workers had to contend with rats, fleas and an awful stench as they worked their way around the house.
After carrying out hundreds of clearances, Shaun branded this property the "worst" he'd ever seen.
He told Lancs.Live: "It's the worst house we've ever done.
"We get called out to clear some awful properties but this absolutely tops the lot. I've never seen anything like it and I can't even begin to imagine how it's got like this."
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It is understood the house, in the central area of Blackburn, has been targeted by squatters.
One nearby resident, who asked not to be named, said people living in the neighbourhood have noticed for some time that the property was in a poor condition.
Shaun expects his workers, wearing safety suits, will take around two days to clear the property. In the first few hours of the clearance they found evidence of rats living inside and saw fleas on the mattresses upstairs.
A broken fridge blocks the entrance to the bathroom while filthy pots and pans were found in the second bedroom. Baseball caps appear to have been hung on the wall in an attempt to make the house more like a home but Shaun says whoever had been squatting in the property has clearly been living in squalor.
"It's worse than anything you might have seen on Britain's Biggest Hoarders," Shaun, 31, added.
"I honestly don't know how anyone can live like that.
"It's a house of horror, it really is."
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's environmental health and cleansing departments investigate complaints of nuisance caused by the build up of waste in a garden or yard of a property.
If the authority considers that the build-up of rubbish is unacceptable the owner of the property is typically given a period of time to remove it. If this is not done then a legal notice can be served.
