Fear of fire

By Danny Buttler
A PREGNANT Pakenham mother of two fears an overgrown paddock could be a fire hazard and breeding ground for snakes and “mega-rats”.
Danni Sleeth, whose David Street backyard abuts the poorly maintained property, is worried about the safety of her two small girls.
The CFA has inspected the paddock, but still nothing has been done by the owner to clear the grass.
Six houses back onto the property, which has not been slashed despite widespread concern by neighbours.
A major stumbling block to residents is their inability to track down the owner of the land.
Ms Sleeth wants to fence off the boundary, but can’t afford to carry the entire costs of a new fence.
“Because we don’t know who owns it, we can’t get our fences done,” she said,
“We only have a three-rail fence, so it doesn’t keep snakes or anything else out.”
“We have these mega-rats that are as big as your hand and the man from the CFA said there are almost certainly snakes in there.”
With a baby due within the month and a small child requiring ongoing medical treatment, Ms Sleeth said she just wanted the paddock slashed to protect her home and her family.
“The CFA said they would look at it,” she said.
“Apparently the owners had until the end of December to get it cut, but still nothing has been done.”
The CFA said local councils could issue and enforce clean-up notices for poorly maintained properties.
Cardinia Shire council said it would investigate if any clean-up notices had been issued.