Telford named in top 10 for rise in squatters

Telford has been named in the top 10 places in England and Wales for an increase in squatters – while the rest of Shropshire has seen a drop in numbers.

Some areas of Shropshire have seen a dramatic fall in cases where landlords have applied to courts to get people out of their houses.

Ludlow County Court saw the number of cases of squatting and trespassing drop by 75 per cent from 40 in 2010 to 10 last year.

But the number of cases at Telford County Court has risen by a third from 270 in 210 to 450 last year – an increase of 66.67 per cent. This ranked it eight in the overall standings, led by Truro County Court with an increase of 163.16 per cent.

Courts in Shrewsbury and Oswestry also saw falls. Shrewsbury reduced its number of cases by 60 per cent from 125 orders to 50, while Oswestry saw a 37.5 per cent drop from 40 cases in 2010 to 25 last year.

The study, by AA's home emergency response service, found England and Wales saw an eight per cent rise over all in possession claims leading to orders.

Tom Stringer, of AA home emergency response, said: "The process of removing someone can prove to be a time-consuming and costly nightmare for property owners."