Residents who live in squalor should be left in peace

THOSE who choose to live in squalor should be allowed to do so, according to a new report backed by the Economic and Social Research Council, which also claims that modern society is obsessed with cleanliness.

Two Scottish academics, who spent two years analysing the behaviour of people who neglect both themselves and their homes, say such eccentric individuals should be allowed to live as they like so long as it does not affect anyone else.

The research team, from the universities of Stirling and Dundee, estimate that as many as 100,000 people in the UK live in extreme squalor.

But rather than dismiss individuals who appear on TV programmes such as Life of Grime or How Clean is Your House as dysfunctional, the study claims many people are content to live this way.

The research also found that any well-intentioned attempts to force them to clean up could do more harm than good.

Professor William Lauder, of the University of Dundee, said: "Self-neglect is a big problem - more common than elderly abuse or neglect.

"These people are often portrayed as having a mental illness, but we found that in around 50 per cent of cases, people want to live like that.

"These days we have an obsession with cleanliness and living in a disinfected environment. We are terrified of dirt.

"But people should be left to live the way they choose, providing they are not harming themselves or others."

The academics discovered that the tendency to self-neglect was often hereditary, while others simply became accustomed to living an unkempt and haphazard lifestyle.

Rather than becoming social outcasts, however, the researchers also discovered that such individuals were often popular with neighbours who frequently looked upon their eccentric behaviour with a degree of fondness.

Dr Isobel Anderson, of Stirling University, said: "Neighbours don’t always complain unless they have a genuine concern. Britain is generally quite tolerant of eccentrics if they are seen to be a bit different, but are generally harmless."

As a result of the two-year study, the researchers have drawn up guidelines for health professionals, social workers and housing officers, which advises them on ways of dealing with squalid households.