Row battle in 'disrepair'

FRUSTRATED homeowners are calling on a council to deal with their neighbour over claims he has let his multi-million pound house fall into an "awful" state of disrepair.

- BY ISOBEL WILLIAMS

Nicholas Halbritter’s London property has been a source of angst for locals for years, and they have claimed it is affecting their house prices.

Mr Halbritter, a former councillor for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), was previously prosecuted over a failure to deal with knotweed in his garden.

But residents say that the legal action has had little effect and that the invasive plant is still there, and has now grown to nearly 10ft high.

Neighbours also claim they can hear the sound of foxes mating coming from the basement. They are now calling on RBKC to take action over the property, in affluent Chelsea, South West London.

Nik Hoexter, who has lived on one side of the property for 40 years, said: "The knotweed will be a huge problem if I try to sell. It is very aggressive. We have a paved garden, so it is probably already underneath."

The resident said he has gone back and forth with the homeowner and the council over the years.