Squatter lives in £1m mews flat

When the owners of a £1million mews flat in South Kensington walked out to join a religious cult, squatter Elizabeth Smee moved in. Now she has won "squatters' rights" to stay.

The discovery has angered neighbours in Queen's Gate Place Mews, who have watched as the property has fallen into decay during the past 15 years. They are now pinning their hopes of finally removing the 60-year-old squatter on the Court of Appeal, which is being asked to uphold a recent High Court judgment ordering Mrs Smee to pay for repairs to the property below the flat she lives in. Not much is known locally about Miss Smee's background although some residents say she was once a company director.

She apparently seized the chance of getting a free roof over her head in one of London's most sought-after areas in 1987 when the eccentric owners joined a
bizarre religious sect which ordered them to give up all their possessions. Under existing laws, she now finds she is entitled to stay in the first-floor flat because she has lived in the property for more than 12 years.

One neighbour, who did not wish to be identified, said: "There have been all manner of efforts to get her out over the years, but she went to court and they said she had the right to stay."

Another resident added: "The story is that she was offered £450,000 to go, but she refused to budge. I try to avoid her because she is so unkempt and smells awful."

A third neighbour said: "The woman has not spent a farthing on the property. Its all very well having squatters' rights, but what happens when the building comes down?

" It doesn' t take a rocket scientist to realise that the property is falling down. There was a massive flood in the garage because the leaves have never been cleared from her roof terrace drainage."

The lack of repairs to the property's roof and gutters resulted in the owners of the garage below taking Miss Smee to court. The High Court ordered her to pay a quarter of the repair bill.