Compulsive hoarder Brian Clenshaw facing eviction from Tunbridge Wells home
Brian Clenshaw surrounded
by books at magazines in his Tunbridge Wells flat
by Nisha Chopra
A compulsive hoarder faces being made
homeless after he was told he will be evicted because of his huge
collection.
Brian Clenshaw, from Tunbridge Wells,
has a week to find a new place to live after his landlord got a
county court ruling for him to leave.
The 52-year-old has filled his flat,
in Mount Ephraim, with thousands of newspapers, magazines, DVDs and
books - none of which he can bring himself to throw away.
Mr Clenshaw, who believes he suffers
from Obsessive Hoarding Syndrome, admitted he had always been a
"little hoarder".
But he claims his obsession became
uncontrollable when a serious accident dramatically changed his
life.
Video: Brian Clenshaw
explains how his collection grew
Mr Clenshaw said: "My hoarding was
always manageable, but I had a bad accident back in 1997 where I
was run over by a 10 tonne lorry, which left me with a smashed
pelvis, impotent and incontinent.
"I could have walked away with
£189,000, but my lawyers said I should have gone to the High Court
to get more money, but they stuffed it and I didn’t get a
penny.
"That’s when I started struggling and
that’s when the hoarding took off.
"I was buying all sorts of things from
magazines, books, CDs and DVDs. I started a serious coin
collection, spending hundreds of pounds and collecting stamps.
"I was in denial at not having this
£189,000."
With little movement left in his
pelvis, Mr Clenshaw’s hoard makes it even more difficult to move
around his flat.
But he says he has struggled to get
help in shifting the pile.
"I’ve begged for help with my hoarding
but all GPs say I have to completely give up alcohol and then
they’ll help," he added. "But it’s the hoarding that distresses
me."
"I’ve begged for help with my hoarding but all GPs say I have to completely give up alcohol and then they’ll help..." – hoarder Brian Clenshaw
The former London salesman admits the
only time he felt himself again was when he was locked up for
harassing his solicitor - and away from his hoard.
Mr Clenshaw said: "I had to go to
Elmley prison for four weeks in 2008 because I was losing the plot
on the phone with the solicitor who dealt with my civil claim. "I
wanted an apology. I had my own cell because of my own medical
conditions and it’s been the most content I’ve been for years as I
was away from the drink and the hoarding."
But now Mr Clenshaw is facing another
uphill struggle as his landlord, A.E.Chattell & Sons, whose
offices are based in the building in which Brian lives, have now
got backing from Tunbridge Wells County Court for him to be
evicted.
He has until next week Wednesday to
find another place to live.
Mr Clenshaw said: "They’ve given me a
stay of execution, that gives me a chance to get valuable stuff
into storage - and find somewhere else to live.
"But I can’t put much stuff in
hostels, so it’s very daunting. I accept the newspaper and
magazines will have to go but other stuff is really valuable to
me."
A.E.Chattell & Sons declined to
comment.
05/12/12
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