A Hounslow landlord has been fined a record £20,000 for building and renting a row of breeze-block bedsits in Hanworth Road.

Din Dayal Verma and his son Ashok Kumar Verma resisted planning officers' requests for nearly six years, taking their case to the High Court and repeatedly ignoring the council's enforcement orders.

In line with its commitment to take a tough stance on people who flout planning regulations, the council decided to prosecute the Vermas and secured the biggest planning fine the borough has ever seen.

Councillors Barbara Reid, the council's executive member for environment and planning, said: "This case demonstrates that people who think they can simply flout the planning regulations are making a very costly mistake.

"The planning laws are there for a reason and we will continue to safeguard the borough's environment by taking tough action against anyone who refuses to play by the same rules as the rest of us."

The case dates back to 2001 when the council's planning team first served an enforcement order on the Vermas.

The Vermas constructed a 27m long rear extension that took up the entire rear garden of a property in Hanworth Rd, Hounslow. They converted the outbuilding into five separate bed-sitting rooms that played home to seven tenants.

The council made numerous requests for the Vermas to serve notice on their tenants, to stop using the unauthorised extension as bed-sitting accommodation and demolish the extension.

The Vermas made an unsuccessful appeal against the planning enforcement notice in 2002 but continued to ignore the council's enforcement orders.

They were charged under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, fined a total of £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,500 The Vermas could still face further prosecution if they fail to comply with the council's demands.