Bed in shed torn down

A Hayes landlord demolished an illegal outbuilding just days before Hillingdon Council's “beds in sheds” team were set to go and tear it down.

The demolition team were ready to go and pull down the bed in shed in Blyth Road, Hayes last week but when final checks were made the owner had finally carried out the work herself.

A dawn raid was carried out on the outbuilding last year by council and home office enforcement officers and confirmed it was being lived in and rented out. Immigration minister at the time Mark Harper and Hillingdon Council's cabinet member for planning, transportation and recycling Cllr Keith Burrows also attended the raid.

The council had warned Rukhshana-Kausar Chaudry that if she failed to demolish the bed in shed it would take direct action to demolish it under planning powers, and she would be billed for the work.

Chaudry had already been prosecuted for failure to comply with an enforcement notice in relation to the outbuilding in December 2013 and had been fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 costs.

Councillor Burrows said: "This is a great result. We are seeing an increase in cases where owners are taking heed of our warnings and knocking down these buildings. We have a dedicated team of officers tackling beds in sheds and we will take action against these rogue landlords. These people are breaking the law and could face prosecution."