A six-month sting against subletting and fraud has freed up homes and revealed council properties being used illegally.

Croydon Council spent the past six months calling at every council home in Waddon after residents concerns, carrying out more than 500 visits.

The team found three homes not being used according to their lease and another five that could be returned for people on the housing list and 46 properties under-occupied.

They also issued 75 warning letters for illegal parking or untidy gardens, more than 100 letters over front garden fences received 50 calls to the fraud hotline referred 20 cases to the benefit fraud team.

Councillor Dudley Mead, Croydon Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “As the landlord for these properties the council has a responsibility to ensure they are being looked after properly and that the people living there are the ones that are supposed to be there.

“The results we have seen from Waddon mean that this is an exercise that is well worth carrying out elsewhere in the borough of Croydon.”

The council fraud hotline for reporting any suspicion of housing fraud anonymously can be reached on 0800 328 9270 or 020 8760 5645 or by emailing corporateanti-fraudteam@croydon.gov.uk