Council enforcement officers found 11 people crammed inside a three-bed semi in London following a tip-off from eagled-eyed residents.

Brent council officers entered an address in Wembley along with police shortly after 6am yesterday.

They found tenants sleeping in every room inside the house, except for the kitchen and bathroom.

The property did not have a legally required HMO licence.

A statement from the council says: “Officers were disgusted to see the conditions nearly a dozen people were living in as they carried out their inspection, including a polystyrene ceiling giving way inside the kitchen, no fire safety doors and no fire alarm system. 

“Damp and black mould also covered the walls and ceilings inside the rooms making it difficult for people to breathe normally.”

Tenants told the officers that they were paying a combined rent of more than £2,000 to their landlord.

A council spokesperson says: “It is shocking and horrifying that rogue landlords make a profit from keeping people in dangerous and slum-like conditions like this. People in vulnerable circumstances tend not to know what rights they have as renters. 

“Rogue landlords who exploit their tenants’ vulnerability will find themselves facing hefty fines and possibly a criminal conviction. We will use whatever powers we have to hold them to account.”