Free living in Covent Garden

Living it up: the squatters

It is worth £20 million, is described as one of the most important Georgian townhouses in London, and could fetch a rent of up to £3,000 a week.

But this Grade II* listed property overlooking Covent Garden has been overrun by 16 squatters who have vandalised it to hold illegal raves. Mattresses and lager cans litter the rain-sodden floorboards in each of the 10 vast rooms and walls are sprayed with graffiti.

Amazingly, no one seems able to get the squatters out. Even when one group is evicted by court order another moves in.

One illegal resident, a Polish builder, smashed holes through walls and floors to make way for heavy-duty wiring for a sound and lighting system.

Julie, a 22-year-old French waitress from Normandy, said: "I can't afford to pay rent in London, it's too expensive. We hope to stay here as long as possible. It is well known in continental Europe that thanks to English law, we are given plenty of time to get out."

The squatters broke into the building - smashing new locks - after the previous illegal tenants were evicted following a court order earlier this year.

They include Nick, 25, a landscape gardener from Munich, Liliana, a Spanish street performer, Aurelie, a French waitress also from Normandy, and Max, a poet from New York.

"We intend to stay here and use it as a major party location," said Nick. "Why should we pay extortionate rents to live in some dive? This building is fantastic, it's free and nobody is using it."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We condemn any action that may cause damage to such an historic property, but this is an issue between the owners and the squatters. It is not a police matter unless actual criminal damage takes place."

Westminster City Council also seems powerless to evict the illegal tenants at 43 King Street, which was designed by Thomas Archer in 1716 for the Earl of Orford and in the Sixties housed the Middle Earth Club, where acts included T-Rex.

Chief housing officer Frances Mapstone said: "We have an excellent track record in preventing squatters taking over our own housing stock. But unless there is a public nuisance caused by the squatters, their eviction is a matter for the landlord."

A spokesman for English Heritage said: "We are always keen to ensure that vacant historic buildings are kept secure... [but] the owners are responsible for the security of the building."

Responsibility for getting rid of the squatters lies with the building's joint owners, pensions giant Scottish Widows and telecoms firm Henderson Global Investors.

They own the house through their property portfolio, Covent Garden Market Ltd Partnership, and employ a firm called Nelson Bakewell to manage it. Agent Richard Williams is trying to get the squatters evicted.

He said: "We are in the process of securing a court order on 12 November to evict them, and once we have it, we can continue to restore the building to its former glory. The problem is the star rating, which means every minor change has to be approved by English Heritage. And while that takes time, the building stands empty."

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