Being seen on Google Earth can get you evicted

THE LEEWARD SIDE: Rachel's garden had weed so long, it could be seen from space on Google Earth.

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Keywords: Google Earth, Rachel McGarie

London: It seems that gardening was not Rachel McGarie’s cup of tea, for the weeds and brambles in her garden grew so long that they could be seen from space on Google Earth.

And the messy garden has resulted in Rachel’s removal from the house she lived in.

Since years, McGarie’s backyard was home to these 10ft long eyesores that had eaten up a child’s swing and a garden shed and reached so high that it could touch the windows of the floor above.

In fact, her neighbour Roy Didcott, who lives upstairs, could easily pick blackberries from his windows.

The 29-year-old woman did not trim the rampant brambles for as long as six years.

This led the housing association bosses to finally evict her as she did not pay any heed to the constant local council warnings to control the growth.

“In the back you can pick blackberries from the top-floor flat window, it has grown so high. It’s a good thing that she has been moved out – but it should have happened a long time ago,” The Sun quoted Roy, 63, as saying.

It’s been ten years since McGarie shifted to the two-bed ground-floor flat in Yate near Bristol, and as part of the tenancy agreement she was asked to maintain the garden.

However, her neighbours insist that the brambles have been out of control for years.

One elderly resident, who did not want to be named, said: “I’ve lived here for six years and the garden has been like that for as long as I can remember. We have had a lot of problems with the brambles spilling over. I would hate to imagine what’s under there.”

Ultimately, Merlin Housing Society, which owns the property, took legal action at Bristol County Court to get her moved out.

“We will shortly be starting work to clear the weeds,” said Hyell Lloyd, spokesman for Merlin.