Kaunas residents ordered to pay for illegal fence removal

Residents who built an illegal fence on state-owned land in Kaunas must pay for its removal, LRT reported, citing a statement from the Kaunas City Municipality. A court ruled that the fence on Kruonio Street in the Vičiūnai neighbourhood was removed lawfully.

The municipality said the legal dispute over the fence began last year and residents had been warned repeatedly. Although the city initiated the removal work, the owners of the plot are responsible for the costs.

According to the municipality, some of the residents withdrew claims they had filed and repaid the debt for the lawful work. The municipality also said an administrative offence report was drawn up over improper wastewater management, and information gathered by a bailiff about environmental pollution was sent to the Environmental Protection Department.

The municipality said wastewater had been discharged through a pipe directly into the ground near the Nemunas water intake. A tank for sewage was not sealed, and wells had been installed illegally on state land within the street boundaries. An inspection led to the removal of about 10 cubic metres of wastewater.

Last year, residents of Kruonio Street told LRT they had agreed to remove the fence themselves but were waiting for the legal proceedings to conclude. LRT previously reported that work to remove a fence and a thuja hedge beside a plot in Vičiūnai began in spring 2015.