SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - After a city lawsuit was filed and years of complaints from neighbors, piles of clutter that have taken up a Mira Mesa man’s entire driveway is finally being cleaned up this week.
A CBS News 8 Your Stories report in February featured residents on Belgian Street in Mira Mesa venting their frustrations and concerns about one of their neighbor’s out-of-control hoarding habits. At the time, the mess could be seen from Google Street View and even satellite images.
During that story, CBS News 8 attempted to contact the homeowner, however, the front door was barricaded from the wall of clutter and the listed phone number no longer worked.
On Tuesday, the first day of cleaning the property, the homeowner was not home, according to Red Griswold, a court appointed receiver who was given legal control of the property.
"We invite the owner to be with us during the project because the last thing we want to do is throw away any family photos, important documents, etc. It’s a difficult job, but something we take very seriously," he said.
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He added that the cleaning crews on site are being careful to make sure the owner's very personal belongings are not thrown away.
Authorities say the homeowner will be responsible for the cost of the cleanup.