Middle-aged man found living in unheated garden shed in Forest Gate

An illegal shed was destroyed in Forest Gate by the council last week in an effort to tackle slum housing.

A middle-aged man was living in this garden shed with no heating, insulation, and only one window at the rear of a cramped terraced property.

The owner failed to demolish the shed after receiving a council notice so the council arranged for contractors to remove it.

After it emerged costs would be passed on to the owner, it was taken down voluntarily before contractors could arrive on site.

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, said: “One bad house can drag down a whole street and we are doing this for the community.

“There are good landlords in Newham and we want to work with them.

“Unfortunately there are also some unscrupulous ones – and these are the ones we are targeting.”