A housing chief could be jailed after a tenant alleged a court order directing the council to clear a bug infestation had been breached.

Anthony Gold, a law firm representing the tenant, secured a court order in April requiring the director of housing, regeneration and environment at Lambeth Council, Sue Foster, to appear in court on June 10 after the council allegedly failed to eradicate pharaoh ants from the tenant’s home.

Timothy Waitt, a solicitor at Anthony Gold, said: “We brought the case back to court for a finding of contempt of court.

“We have an order that Sue Foster, director of regeneration and housing at Lambeth attend court to answer the alleged contempt.”

In 2009, the tenant brought a claim against her landlord, the council, for them to fix a leak and get rid of an ant infestation. In November 2010, the case settled with the council paying compensation and agreeing to complete repairs by December 2010 and to take all reasonable steps to eradicate the ant infestation. According to Mr Waitt, the council did nothing and the matter went back to court.

On February 18, the court ordered the council to complete the repairs by May 18 and to take all reasonable steps to eradicate the ant infestation, including getting the treatment programme approved by March, which Mr Waitt alleges it failed to do.

A council spokesman said: “Work to get rid of the ant infestation has already begun and is ongoing.

“Unfortunately our pest control team has been having difficulties in gaining access to some neighbouring properties to complete the work, and steps have been put in place to obtain warrants of entry.

It was always our intention to carry out this work as soon as possible, and we had already confirmed this intention with the tenant and their solicitor.”