By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — Get rid of that junk.

A judge has ruled that a South Casco property owner must remove from his lot the items only allowed in a junkyard.

Additionally, the landowner has been required to pay the town’s legal fees, which were approximately $3,700.

The Maine District Court recently ruled in favor of the Town of Casco, declaring the private property adjacent to Kettle Cove to be an illegal junkyard, according to Casco Town Manager Dave Morton.

The items to be removed from the property include vehicles, boats, boat trailers, snowmobile carcasses and an accumulation of broken down appliances, Morton said.

“Some things are an environmental hazard. But, what made it easy for the court is that it is illegal to have three or more unregistered, broken-down vehicles on property,” Morton said.

“The concern is that that close to (Big) Sebago Lake, have the fluids and oils in the vehicles been properly removed? If not, they could leak into the lake. Same thing with the boats,” he said.

“The other issue is that is a small lot in a built-up area. There are concerns about fire hazards in that neighborhood,” he said.

The court provided the landowner with a timeline to comply with the junkyard violation.

Also, the courts gave the town permission to trespass on the property to remove the items if the landowner does not take corrective measures, Morton said.