THE "rogue" owners of a Worcester home illegally rented to students have been ordered to pay out £3,800 after being taken to court.

After serious concerns a property in Barbourne was failing safety standards Worcester City Council decided to prosecute the culprits.

Under Government law landlords need a licence to operate a 'House of Multiple Occupation' (HMO), which ensures they have proper fire precautions and security measures.

But two years ago council chiefs became aware of 5 Barbourne Court, in Barbourne Crescent, a three-storey property leased to have "at least" three students without permission.

After a long investigation its owners Bing Wang and Yan Shao, who are based in Perth, Scotland, were taken to court under the Housing Act.

The house had no fire exits, smoke detectors or emergency lights and no HMO licence from the council.

Worcester Magistrates Court fined the duo £1,370 each, ordered them to pay £421 towards the costs incurred by taxpayers and separate victim's surcharges, totalling £3,856 between them after being found guilty of breaking the law.

The city's Labour leadership has now urged others to toe the line, saying they will not tolerate other "rogue landlords".

Poor condition of private rented homes has been a serious concern in Worcester for several years.

It also comes at a time when a crackdown on the number of new student homes in parts of Worcester is in full swing.

Councillor Roger Berry, the cabinet member for housing and heritage, said: "Most landlords in Worcester are proud to run safe and secure houses and are happy to apply for the licence that proves they do.

"This verdict sends out a strong message to rogue landlords that we will not tolerate them putting their tenants in danger.

"If you are the landlord of an HMO and you haven't applied for your licence yet, don’t leave it any longer – because we will take you to court if we need to."

Last year we exclusively revealed how up to 14,000 rented homes across Worcester are believed to be in poor condition and failing to meet nationally-defined 'decent' standards.

That number has risen 58 per cent in the last decade.