Enforcement officers have been commended for clearing up an alleged eyesore that had blighted one of Devizes’ prettiest vistas.

Rum Jungle in Snails Lane, below the north escarpment of Devizes Castle, had been the subject of numerous complaints to Wiltshire Council.

Last August, the eastern area planning committee approved enforcement action to remove a mobile home, dilapidated sheds and other detritus from the site.

A report to last Thursday’s meeting of the committee said: “In view of the dilapidated nature of the mobile home and untidy condition of the site in general, your officers initially sought to persuade the owners, who did not live in the UK, to improve the appearance of the site voluntarily.

“When negotiations broke down, an untidy site notice, under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, was issued in January 2013.”

After the owners failed to clear the site, council contractors did the work and the owners now face a bill of between £10,000 and £15,000.

Coun Peter Evans said: “It is 250 per cent better. The view of the valley beyond the castle was obliterated.”