'Nowhere to go' - evicted family living in caravan

Margaret and Eddie Tout, of Ronkswood, spent yesterday packing up their belongings as bailiffs changed the locks on the property in Canterbury Road.

As your Worcester News reported on Saturday, despite paying their rent for two-and-a-half-years their landlord fell badly into arrears, leading to Halifax securing a repossession order on it.

The family, who have son Mark, aged 22, also living at home with them, say they “have nowhere else to go”.

Mrs Tout, aged 51, said: “We’ve got no other option other than to put a caravan near the front and sleep in it. We literally have nowhere else to go.

“It’ll take two weeks to get a court order to move us off this land, this will give us some time.

“The neighbours have been good to us too, they’ve offered us the shower. We’ve got to get on with it the best we can.

“We’ve looked for other homes but there’s nowhere we can afford.”

Solicitors Drydensfairfax, acting on behalf of Halifax, secured the order at Worcester County Court after landlord Noman Aziz fell into arrears on his repayments.

The family say they have looked at dozens of alternative rented homes, but cannot afford any as landlords are asking for two or three months worth of payments in advance.

They have also been talking to Worcester City Council about their plight, but have not found a new home. They stopped paying rent on the house in April after the tenancy agreement ran out, and were then told by the court they had until yesterday to move out.

Mr Aziz said: “If they are not paying rent they should not be staying there. It’s getting ridiculous now.”

He has also said he still harbours a hope of getting the property back from the bailiffs, and will be talking with his solicitors about getting the family off the site.

“I’ve been told if I can make a payment (on the arrears) I can have the property back, so I’ll be discussing it with them,” he said. “It’s in the hands of my solicitors.”