TROUSER-splitting 60s pop idol P J Proby left his Worcestershire home in a derelict state after being asked to quit the property, according to the landlady.

Patricia Fraser claims a washbasin, taps, light fittings and furniture were missing when she visited the empty house in Kings Road, Evesham.

"I cried my eyes out when I went in," said Mrs Fraser, who is the tenant and sub-let the house to Proby, whose biggest hit Hold Me reached number three in the charts in 1964.

"The smell is absolutely unbelievable. The property is going to have to be completely refurbished before it's let."

The 62-year-old American, who hit the headlines when his trousers split twice in three days during concerts, denies the claims.

Mrs Fraser said the American, whose real name is James Marcus Smith, was forced to face the music over rent arrears when he was served with an eviction order.

She said that after initial problems last year in collecting the rent, another 60s pop star, Billie Davis, provided a cheque to cover payments for September and October but the arrears continued to mount.

Although most of the £400 per month arrears were cleared, Mrs Fraser, who lives in Southampton, insisted on a £1,000 deposit before renewing the let.

"We came into January this year and we still hadn't received any money," she said.

"My solicitor said we have to give him notice. I wrote to him in January and said unless he paid up, I would issue an eviction order."

Mrs Fraser heard nothing from the singer after the eviction order was issued and went to the house.

Proby, now living at an undisclosed address in Evesham, insists the house was fine when he left it.

"Fans may have gone in and ripped the place to pieces," he said.

He claimed Mrs Fraser threw him out after originally allowing him to live there "on a handshake".

"There wasn't supposed to be any rent. That was contrary to what our agreement was," he said.

PJ Proby now has his official fan club based in Evesham.