Londoners waiting for home 'exiled' to North

COUNCIL chiefs have been warned they may be breaking the law by sending thousands of people on housing waiting lists in London to the North and the Midlands.

- Jonathan Walker

Authorities have been accused of "exiling" poor families to areas where home costs are cheaper.

Up to one in 10 residents in Ferryhill, Co Durham, are believed to be refugees from the capital, with "whole streets" in other towns in the region being filled with Londoners desperate for a home.

Chris Bailey, campaign manager for charity Action on Empty Homes, said: "It is as if the towns of Co Durham and Teesside are being turned into the equivalent of London's modern day leper colonies." He added families were "sent into exile up there, through no fault of their own".