Ilford: A community besieged by squatters

A community under siege by gangs of Romanian squatters targeting dozens of vacant homes has launched a fightback to reclaim properties there.

In an escalation of the squatting epidemic blighting London, up to 30 homes around Ilford have been occupied in the past year - and police said they were powerless to step in.

Nine neighbours secured one empty house on Boxing Day to stop it being taken over again after a group of squatters moved out.

Their action came after a series of cases across London in which organised gangs of Eastern Europeans have occupied and trashed strings of empty neighbouring properties. One resident taking on the squatters in Ilford told how she returned home from work one day to find up to 30 of them in the four-bedroom house next door.

Susan Dixon, 47, said the gangs have refused to leave occupied properties in her area and sometimes turned hostile when challenged by the owners.

The mother-of-one has since gathered nearly 2,000 signatures demanding action by Redbridge council and is due to speak in the town hall this month.
She said: "They moved in next to me and I had no idea how to act. It took weeks to research and so we want the council to arm the community with information. People are scared, angry and in disbelief that someone can just take over your house.

"It must be one of the most squatted areas in Britain. These people can be very intimidating but police say it's a civil matter and we must go to court."

Residents also want the council to work with estate agents to ensure properties on the market are not so visibly for sale and to advise on security.

Home owners have reported having windows broken, rubbish piled up in gardens, bathrooms "trashed" and lead removed from ceilings.

One couple were stuck with a £600 gas bill after squatters refused to leave for three months. Their carpets were also stolen, windows broken and holes drilled in the doors for satellite TV.

Local councillor Aziz Choudhury said some squatters slept in "shifts". He said: "My ward is affected severely by this. On one road they moved from property to property three times. The area's reputation is going down. By the time eviction papers are served in court they've trashed the house and gone."

In October father-of-two Bhajan Channa said he was "traumatised" after squatters did £20,000 of damage to his three-bedroom home after he had moved out to sell it. Home owners are powerless to get their houses back, despite being allowed in by police to photograph the damage.

Redbridge council said: "We are working with partner organisations, in particular the police, to take steps to try to prevent squatters gaining access to empty properties in the borough."