Abandoned cars, overgrown weeds and scrap metal: The squalid frontyard mess that hasn't been touched in 13 years - at an $80,000 cost to taxpayers 

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It is an epic battle to clean up this suburban yard that has now spanned 13 years.

The home on Shaftesbury Road at Elizabeth Vale, north of Adelaide, is littered with old cars, rusty bikes and broken furniture and the owner's refusal to clean it up has already cost the local council $80,000.

Playford Council has been battling David Tavitian in and out of the courts for more than a decade and the fight has now landed in the supreme court.

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The home on Shaftesbury Road at Elizabeth Vale, north of Adelaide, is littered with old cars, rusty bikes and broken furniture

Both parties have already appeared in court to work out what Mr Tavitian can or cannot keep on his property and they have until December to make written submissions supporting each of their cases.

The council has argued that the amount of old cars and bikes on Mr Tavitian's property changes the land use from residential to storage of scrap metal, which they haven't approved. 

Mr Tavitian's neighbour Rodney has lived across the street for nearly 30 years and says unfortunately he has become used to the scrap metal 'eyesore'.

Playford Council has been battling the owner, David Tavitian, to clean it up for 13 years

Legal bills for Playford Council have so far surpassed $80,000 as they try to get the property cleaned up

The council and Mr Tavitian have been battling it out in and out of the courts for more than a decade and the fight has now landed in the supreme court

Both parties have until December to make written submissions to the court supporting each of their cases

'It’s just gone downhill. It was quite a reasonable house in the early days before he moved in… he’s just a hoarder,' Rodney told Daily Mail Australia.

'He's got this metal fence around his yard that blocks everything off. It’s an eyesore. 

'Everyone tries to keep their houses neat and tidy but it’s not good to look out the window at that every morning.'

Another long-time neighbour, Scott, says the council once pulled out about 10 cars from his property six years ago but it's overflowing again.

'It's just a pain in the a** to be honest,' he said.

'About 10 years ago he didn't have a fence around it, so I guess they have tidied it up a bit in that time with the fence. 

'You see a lot of cats and rats coming out... I wish they could just demolish it.'

The battle began back in 2001 when Mr Tavitian was issued with an unsanitary condition notice after claims of a rat infestation

An environmental report in 2006 found there were faeces, an old refrigerator, wheels, and pieces of timber and metal in his yard

Mr Tavitian has so far successfully appealed the orders in court - once because of insufficient evidence

The owner appealed two more court warrants in 2009 saying the notices had been printed on council notepaper and had not been officially sealed

Playford Mayor Glenn Docherty told the Northern Messenger they would try and recover the $80,000 they've spent in legal bills fighting to get the yard cleaned up.

The battle began back in 2001 when Mr Tavitian was issued with an unsanitary condition notice after claims of a rat infestation came to light.

But the resident successfully appealed this in court.

An environmental report in 2006 found there were faeces, an old refrigerator, wheels, and pieces of timber and metal in his yard.  

Mr Tavitian appealed two more court warrants in 2009 saying the notices had been printed on council notepaper and had not been officially sealed. 

Mr Tavitian erected this scrap metal fence around his Shaftesbury Road property about 10 years ago, according to neighbours 

Mr Tavitian's neighbour Rodney has lived across the street for nearly 30 years and says unfortunately he has become used to the scrap metal 'eyesore'

An aerial view of the Shaftesbury Road property shows just at least 16 vehicles in the yard at one point