It appears likely the squatters who have made themselves at home in the empty buildings refuse to be locked out.

Planning and environmental services director David Shaw said the temporary fence was erected by the property owners in response to being served with a notice by Bathurst Regional Council.

Mr Shaw said that on July 4 council issued the owners with a notice of intention to serve an order. The owner then had 28 days to respond to council’s warning or they were committing an offence.

He said council was acting on concerns raised by the public.

“Council wanted to ensure the properties were not accessible to the public,” Mr Shaw said. “If the fence has been breached we will need to write to them again.”

Councillor Bobby Bourke went on the record yesterday to express his disgust with the state of the three houses.

He described them as a fire and safety hazard after discovering the houses were littered with syringes, ashes and empty beer bottles. A burnt mattress was also discovered in one of the houses.

The NSW Fire Brigade has been called to the properties on a number of occasions to extinguish fires.

Cr Bourke said he would like to see the derelict houses fixed up or demolished.

“Vacant lots would be better than this mess,” he said. “If the blocks were cleared, there would be no threat to people’s safety.”