A LANDLORD investigated by the BBC Watchdog programme has threatened to dump rubbish, glass and gas canisters in the gardens of his tenants.

Allotment holders at Breach Barns mobile home park, off Galley Hill, Waltham Abbey, were given 28 days to clear their allotments after park owner Maurice Fred' Sines increased the annual rent for each plot from £1 to £300.

Plot holders, many of whom are elderly, ripped up their plants and dismantled sheds and greenhouses but Mr Sines says they left the site looking like a bomb site.

In a letter to the allotment association a Sines Park Homes representative wrote: "There is a great amount of rubbish, glass, gas bottles, etc, still there.

"He has given the allotment holders who have left rubbish on their plots another seven days to clear it; otherwise he will have it cleared by his workmen and left on their gardens for them to remove."

Mr Sines told the Guardian: "They're really taking the p....s. We asked them would they please tidy up and they've left it like a bomb site. So we're going to take the rubbish and give it back to them. They can pay for it to be removed.

"They may be willing to leave it over my land, but they'll clear it up when it's infront of their houses."

He added: "I'm old-fashioned. If you punch me in the face, I'll punch you in the face."

A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "He's trying to make our lives a misery. We still don't know what he wants to do with the land.

"A lot of the allotment holders are elderly and tending their plants and flowers was something that gave them pleasure.

"Breach Barns is a mile from the nearest council allotments, which only cost £15 per year, and many people just can't get there. It's very sad.

"We've done our best to clear the site, but it's hard for the older people. I'm not sure what else they can do."

Mr Sines, who owns 11 parks across the UK, was investigated by the consumer television show Watchdog in January for alleged attempts to persuade residents into giving up their homes at Hardwick Bridge Park in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

He agreed to pay residents of Ladycroft Park, Blewbury, Oxfordshire, £75,000 in damages and promised not to harass them or face jail in an out-of-court settlement last October after tenants took him to court.

Breach Barns residents expressed concern over his plans for the future of their park after he demolished the community hall and many garages.