Beds in sheds: Almost 300 illegal dwellings across Oxford

New figures have revealed that more than 5,000 suspected unlawful developments were spotted in Oxford by a plane sent up last March.

And of those, the city council said 2,700 showed suspicious heat activity. Officers visited more than 860 properties and said about 10 per cent were found to be ‘beds in sheds’.

Deputy leader Ed Turner last night vowed to crack down on the problem and urged people in the city to come forward about suspicious properties in their neighbourhoods.

He said: “Just as we suspected, there are plenty of unscrupulous people out there looking to exploit those who are vulnerable and desperate enough to live in Oxford that they will put up with poor and frankly dangerous conditions.

“In Oxford there are significant issues, but we want to root them out. We cannot allow them to get out of control.”

The survey, which cost £23,000, used thermal imaging to spot garages or outbuildings with heat levels that might indicate people living in them without proper facilities.

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The council said one of the worst cases it found was a property in Cowley Marsh where they found two men asleep in what they say was a dilapidated garage.

In a report on the find, officers said there was no fixed heating or insulation and the power supply was a cable strung across from the kitchen, leading to a risk of electrocution and fire.

They said the house it was attached to was being rented to a young couple, one of whom claimed to be the sister of the men, the council said.

In his report, unlawful developments manager Paul Fitzgerald said: “Conditions were deemed to be so hazardous, that there was an imminent risk to the health safety and welfare of the occupants.”

The council issued notice for the structure to be vacated and made it safe, but the men had left by that point, Mr Fitzgerald said.

Despite the council scheme’s work so far, he warned that funding to tackle beds in sheds was drying up.

He said: “This problem will not go away. The financial gain to unscrupulous landlords is too great, and temptation will always be there if these unlawful structures are allowed to remain.

“The proposal is to roll forward any underspend in the environmental health budget to sustain the project at a reduced level.”

Mr Fitzgerald said so far the council has served notice to 33 properties and another 10 are set to be sent out by the end of March.

He said: “To put this in context, the average number of notices per year is typically eight.”

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said illegal accommodation was a growing problem: “I am very concerned about this issue and as I’ve been calling round houses several cases have been drawn to my attention by concerned neighbours.

“The acute shortage of housing in Oxford makes it tempting for some landlords to squeeze more people into unsuitable accommodation, but this is exactly why we need more homes to be built.”

In a report for housing scrutiny panel members, unlawful developments manager Paul Fitzgerald wrote: “A substantial amount of planning enforcement activity has now taken place and this will increase over the coming months.”

When landlords lodged appeals with the Planning Inspectorate, he said, the vast majority had been ruled in favour of the council.

If landlords defy the council after a notice is served, they can be prosecuted and the authority has powers to demolish their property.

Its enforcement officers are set to feature in a BBC programme later this year, Housing Enforcers, showing how they carry out their duties.

Deputy leader Mr Turner said the programme would become “part of the bread and butter” of officers’ work.

He added: “People engaging in this illegal activity should watch out for us, because we will remain vigilant.”

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