Man who burned down his home TWICE helped by the 'Declutter Divas'

Are these Britain’s worst hoarders? ‘King of the eccentrics’ who burned down his home TWICE and woman, 64, who left half a rotting roast dinner in her oven are helped by the ‘Declutter Divas’ in new documentary

• Channel 5’s Hoarders: Landfill In My Living Room reveals the conditions which some hoarders have to live in
• The first episode sees the expert cleaners help self-proclaimed King Of The Eccentrics Jake Mangle-Wurzel 
• Declutter Divas also helped cancer-stricken Susan who had been living under junk for more than 10 years

A ‘king of the eccentrics’ who burned down his home twice and a woman who left half a rotting roast dinner are among Britain’s worst hoarders, a new documentary discovered. 

Hoarders: Landfill In My Living Room, which airs on Channel 5, shows the conditions in which some hoarders have to live.

Two women, who call themselves the Declutter Divas, then enter the homes to clean them up. 

The first episode sees the expert cleaners help Jake Mangle-Wurzel, who calls himself King Of The Eccentrics.

Mr Mangle-Wurzel lives in a caravan on the site of the remains of his home, which he burned down twice, in Huddersfield. 

The Declutter Divas also headed to Kent to help cancer-stricken Susan (pictured), who had been living under piles of junk for more than 10 years

Mr Mangle-Wurzel brands the space ‘Wonderful Wurzel Land’ and it includes a cigarette butt pile which is more than a foot tall, as well as pots of sludge which he claims are tea, The Sun reports. 

He says in the programme: ‘Whenever I offer anyone tea… they say “no Jakey, thank you we just had one”‘.

The hoarder is then visited by a fire prevention officer who warns him about his disastrous surroundings.

The Declutter Divas also headed to Kent to help cancer-stricken Susan, who had been living under piles of junk for more than 10 years.

Hoarders: Landfill In My Living Room, which airs on Channel 5, shows the conditions in which some hoarders have to live  

The first episode sees the expert cleaners help self-proclaimed King Of The Eccentrics Jake Mangle-Wurzel (pictured), who lives in a caravan on the site of the remains of his home, which he burned down twice, in Huddersfield

Mr Mangle-Wurzel brands the space ‘Wonderful Wurzel Land’ and it includes a cigarette butt pile which is more than a foot tall

Heartbreakingly, the 64-year-old died shortly after filming took place, but the cleaners ploughed through rotten rooms and found a half-eaten roast dinner in the oven which had been going mouldy. 

In the bathroom, one of the Divas found a decaying mouse which had drowned in black liquid surrounding the toilet bowl. 

Susan was delighted with the ‘transformed house’ after the divas had finished with it. 

With her able to sleep in her own bed, she said: ‘It feels like home again’. 

Two women, who call themselves the Declutter Divas (pictured), enter the homes to clean them up in the show 

The Declutter Divas inspect clutter that litters a filthy home. They inspect a shoe that a mouse is using as a burrow

Elsewhere, pensioner Brian’s home in Cardiff was covered in mountains of books, magazines and newspapers.

His daughter Heather, who said it had been that way for as long as she could remember, criticised her father and said it made her uncomfortable being inside his house.

In a bid to get to the bottom of Brian’s hoarding, the pair tried family counselling.

Heather said in the episode: ‘He needs to prioritise what’s important – family over junk.’

Brian then revealed that his mother was a hoarder. 

He said: ‘I can’t throw anything away that could be useful – not necessarily to me, but to someone. I suppose I get that from my mother.’

You can watch Landfill in my Living Room on December 10 on Channel 5 at 9pm.

How to tell if you have a hoarding disorder and the warning signs to look out for 

Officially recognised by the NHS in 2013, up to three million Britons are thought to suffer to some degree from the condition, which is characterised by a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions.

Of course, we all struggle to part with certain trinkets that take us back to a precious moment in time.

But other signs of hoarding disorder include distress at the thought of getting rid of the items, and an excessive – often unmanageable – accumulation, regardless of value. Everyday life may become difficult due to the amount. Rooms become inaccessible and often, sufferers refuse to seek help, because they are ashamed of the problem. 

If any of the following applies to you or a loved one, it could be a sign of hoarding disorder…

1 Difficulty stopping accumulating and acquiring things at home.

2 A large number of possessions that prevent normal use of living spaces.

3 Safety dangers caused by faulty equipment.

4 Worries and anxiety about change.

5 Family or friends who have threatened to take matters into their own hands.

6 Indecision about what to do to make things better.

7 Becoming secretive about one’s living situation.

If you’re worried about yourself or a loved one, complete the full test – found on the Rainbow Red website – and take it to your GP, who will refer you to a specialist mental health team.

More details at rainbowred.co.uk.

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