The owners of an East Vancouver home slated for demolition have been ordered to clean up the illegal garbage dump in their yard, or the city will do it and send them a bill.

A mess of furniture, garbage, toys and boxes of Chinese herbs is spilling into the yard, sidewalk and back alley behind the empty home on East 49th Avenue and Dumfries Street. A shed on the property is full of mattresses and bags of garbage.

The abandoned property, assessed for $813,000 last year, is slated for redevelopment, but neighbours say it should be up to the current owners to clean up.

Besides the “horrible smell,” people living nearby report vermin and insect problems.

“We play outside and we smell this garbage because lots of people drop all the garbage,” seven-year-old neighbour Manjot North said.

“Lots of flies. There's lots of [mice]… coming all the way to our home.”

Neighbours say people come by the home day and night to dump garbage -- including one in a half-ton truck -- and there’s no stopping it.

“Myself, I’ve stopped so many people,” said Sukhvir Singh Gill, adding that most people return after a few minutes after he chases them off the yard.

City crews are aware of the problem, but they can only clean up what is considered to be city property. On Thursday they removed debris outside the fence perimeter and sidewalk.

Inspectors visited the East Vancouver home to sift through the garbage and see if there are any addresses on the trash in order to track down the illegal dumper.

The owner has until Aug. 10 to clean up the yard.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Nafessa Karim