A judge has approved the eviction of a Battersea woman who allowed her council flat to be used as a drugs factory.

Benedicta Osei-Ababyo permitted her two sons and brother to store, manufacture and deal crack cocaine from her flat on the York Road estate.

A few months after her two sons had been convicted of drugs offences connected to the property, she allowed her brother to set up a crack factory there.

When he was arrested in a dawn raid, detectives found drugs stashed in shoes, cupboards and drawers alongside more than £12,000 in cash.

As a result Wandsworth council obtained a court order evicting the 53-year-old from the Wye Street flat.

Housing spokesman Cllr Kim Caddy said: “There can be no place on our estates for people who deal drugs.

“If you, another family member or someone else who shares your home with you engages in serious criminality you will be deemed to have breached your tenancy agreement and you will face losing your council home.”

Wandsworth County Court was told that in September 2017 her two grown-up sons were both arrested on drugs charges following a dawn raid at the flat in Penge House, which netted large quantities of cannabis, plus scales, other drug paraphernalia and numerous mobile phones.

One was subsequently charged with possession of the cannabis and received a community sentence, while the older sibling was charged with six counts of selling crack cocaine to an undercover police officer and jailed for four years.

Following these convictions, the council began to initiate the first stages of an eviction process – but these were overtaken a short time later when housing department staff learned of a second incident at the property – this time involving the tenant’s brother.

In January last year police forced entry to the flat during the course of their investigations and found him hiding inside along with large quantities of crack cocaine, cannabis and £12,000 in cash.

As well as electronic scales and other drug related materials it was clear to the officers that the flat was being used to manufacture crack. A stolen bicycle was also found in the hallway.

He was subsequently jailed at Kingston Crown Court for six years and 11 months.

An appeal by Ms Osei-Ababyo against the judge's order was rejected by the courts last month.

Cllr Caddy added: “We will shortly be in a position to offer this two-bedroom flat to a local family on our waiting list who are in need of a new home.”