Squatters give bailiffs the slip

Squatters disappeared shortly before they were to be evicted from a Newark street where dozens of flats lie empty.

Raglan Court, former sheltered accommodation flats in three blocks, has been empty for five months and was recently boarded-up.

However, squatters took over one flat.

Residents of Sydney Terrace, which backs on to the court, say the area has been blighted by thieves and vandals.

The squatters say their presence deters those thieves and vandals.

Raglan Court is owned by Raglan Homes of Dorset, a housing association that is trying to decide what to do with the site.

The association arranged for the elderly residents of the 30 homes to move out, as it decided upgrading the premises would be uneconomic.

One resident claimed the fire brigade had been called out as virtually every flat had gas leaks after thieves stripped boilers and pipes.

The police also attended regularly, she said.

The flats can be accessed only by climbing over the 6ft fence around the site.

An Advertiser reporter and photographer watched three squatters, two young men and a young woman, do just that.

One of them, who identified himself as Michael, said he and his friends were homeless.

He said: “We don’t have anywhere else to go.

“We are keeping the place nice. There used to be thieves here but we are keeping them away.

“We don’t cause anybody any trouble. The police know we’re here.”

On Tuesday morning at 9.30am bailiffs moved on to the site but found the flat empty.

The windows and doors were then boarded to prevent the squatters returning.

Evidence

Mr Ian Hanstead, director of housing operations for Raglan Homes, said: “We are sympathetic to local residents who have been affected by the squatters at a flat in Raglan Court.

“We first found evidence of squatters in a flat on January 25 during a visit to the property.

“As soon as we were aware of this situation we contacted our solicitors to begin proceedings against the squatters. There was no evidence on this visit of any other squatters in Raglan Court.

“We had made several visits to the property prior to this, including a police-assisted check to all flats in early January, and on none of these visits did we find any evidence of squatters at the property.

“We served court papers in February and at this time boarded up all windows and doors of the remaining empty flats.

“The hearing took place at Newark County Court on February 26. The judge awarded Raglan the right to obtain possession against the squatters.

“The squatters were not previous residents of the building. We will be charging them with costs for the hearing.”