TV Scope: This programme provided a fascinating insight into some of Britain's filthiest homes shown through a series of case studies.
First up was Eric and Janice Dower, who caused their neighbours so much trouble by the smell and general filth of their home that the police were called in. They had a total of 138 "pets", including 83 dead animals. They had tarantulas, polecats, iguanas and tortoises, not to mention ordinary pets such as cats and dogs. The tortoises, although still alive, had such rotten carapaces that their insides were pouring out.
Eric and Janice got 35 days in jail and were banned from keeping animals for life. The excuses the pair gave in their defence were that they had depression and arthritis.
Next up was the "Blackpool Womble". He suffered from a compulsion to collect other people's rubbish, finding it hard to even part with his own used toilet paper. Although a man of means, he fed himself with leftover food from litter bins and slurped the last of someone else's coffee. The local council had taken away 100 tonnes of rubbish from his home over the last seven years.
Four highly intelligent male students were next to get a visit from Delia Canning - a lecturer in a cleaning college. Their bath was so dirty that a layer of body fat had built up, forming a nasty yellow skin all around. Ugh.
While some of the people featured were just plain lazy or eccentric, there were sad stories too. Take for example, Gwen Harris, a Portadown spinster who collected pedigree dogs. She left 50 decomposing animal carcasses in her house when she died, including a horse. The council cleaners said the scene was straight out of a horror movie.
Again, Gwen was not poor, or alone. She had over £1 million and her brother, a doctor, was also interviewed. It was clear from his body language that he was devastated by what was found in his sister's house. He had no idea what was going on, as when he visited, he had tea in her pristine living room and was not allowed anywhere else in the house.
A more sinister case was that of Sharon Cramer and her family who were forced to leave their dream home because of toxic mould. All the family developed coughing and blurred vision caused by spores produced by this mould, which started because of a leaking fridge.
House-proud housewife and mother-of-four Melinda also had her seemingly spotless home inspected. However, Delia's sophisticated equipment, which gives readings of bacteria levels, found her chopping board and sink were not clean enough for food preparation. Anything with a reading of more than 1,000 is, apparently, not healthy. Melinda's sink alone gave a reading of over 25,000.
This is a programme well worth watching. Apart from the horror stories, it had useful health information. For example, did you know that 10 per cent of the weight of a two-year-old pillow is composed of dust mites (asthmatics, take note). And, if your family gets sick regularly, it could be due to Campylobacter, a germ carried by pet cats and dogs and is one of the main causes of diarrhoea.
More information on food hygiene is available from the Food Safety Promotion Board on 1850 404 567.
• Jacky Jones is regional health promotion manager with the Western Health Board and a member of the National Task Force on Obesity.