Council serves first riot-related eviction notice
Monday, 15 August 2011 3:38 PM
Wandsworth council in south London has initiated eviction proceedings against a woman whose son appeared in court charged in connection with rioting and looting at Clapham Junction.
The Conservative-led council is serving the tenant with an eviction notice – which is the first stage of the eviction process.
The woman is thought to be the first in England to face losing her council-owned home as a result of last week’s riots.
However, Westminster, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Nottingham and Salford councils are considering similar measures against those found to have taken part in the disturbances, the Guardian newspaper reported.
In the Wandsworth case, neither the woman nor her son can be named for legal reasons.
A spokesman for Wandsworth Council told the BBC it wanted to "get the ball rolling" rather than wait to see if the tenant would be convicted.
The council was able to start eviction proceedings against the tenant over a breach of the tenancy agreement.
"We are starting the proceedings early. If he is acquitted we will end our eviction proceedings," he said.
A judge sitting at a county court will take the final decision over the possible eviction.
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