A Gateshead pensioner who has lived in the same home since he was a baby faces a fresh danger of being evicted from his home.
Ken May, 68, has been issued with a third eviction notice, after having previously reached an agreement with Gateshead Council on previous notices in 2022 and in 2019.
The pensioner has been in a long-running dispute with the council over the conditions and safety of his home.
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Ken could now be made to leave the Wardley council house he has called home since November 1955 as early as next Thursday.
The court order from last year allowed Ken to remain at 11 Standfield Gardens provided he reconnected his home to the power grid, having previously powered it with a petrol generator. Ken also needed to allow council workers to repair and rewire his home over eight weeks whilst he was in temporary accommodation.
The court also required Ken to allow annual safety inspections on the property.
However, on April 5 2023, Ken received a letter from Gateshead Council alerting him to a series of scheduled three-monthly property inspections which Ken maintains is a breach of the court order reached in August.
The letter read: "I can confirm that the reason that inspections are necessary, is because of ongoing concerns about the safety of you, your neighbours, and any person visiting the area, based on a history of you interfering with the electrical supply and allowing the condition of your property to deteriorate to a substandard condition and causing a potential hazard to yourself and others.
"As your Landlord, Gateshead Council has undertaken significant repairs to the property to put these issues right and has the right to request access to carry out inspections to ensure that this does not happen again under the terms of your Tenancy Agreement."
Ken emailed the council back refusing them the right to conduct these inspections. He also denies tampering with the electrical supply at his home and has says kept everything exactly as the council left it after the repairs.
He said: "I have done absolutely nothing. All I have done is plug items in. The court order requires me to give access to annual safety checks and I am complying with them,
"I have done nothing to the electrics. The re-wiring is exactly as they left it.
"If Gateshead Council believe I have tampered they should present that evidence to the court. They won't do that because they have no evidence of tampering."
With regards to the condition of the house, Mr May said: "The house is in the same way that they left it, all my stuff is still in boxes, so they are responsible for the state of the house."
Then on May 4, 2023 Ken received his most recent eviction notice.
Ken said: "Can you imagine fighting for your rights against the council all this time? Can you imagine living with the permanent threat of homelessness, removed from your home of 67 years."
Mr May intends to lodge a legal appeal to prevent the eviction. He also maintains the council has no right to repossess his home.
Ken also alleges Gateshead Council was allowed into his home last year for repairs and to remove asbestos from the walls. Ken claims there is no asbestos in the walls and he could have remained in his home while the repairs took place.
A spokesperson for Gateshead Council said: "Gateshead Council were granted an outright possession order in this case, as they recognised the importance of keeping our property and residents safe, placing the responsibility on Mr May to allow access for regular inspections.
"Unfortunately, Mr May has persistently refused to grant us access to his home and is therefore in breach of the court order and his Tenancy Agreement. We, therefore, have had no choice but to regrettably activate a warrant for his eviction, having been granted an outright order for possession of the property following a successful legal trial.
"The eviction is scheduled to take place next Thursday, 25 May. The health and safety of our tenants are paramount, and we continue to work with Mr May, and other relevant agencies to resolve this matter. We have also advised Mr May to seek independent advice."
Ken was also issued an eviction notice in 2019 after the council were concerned about the clutter inside the home. This was later resolved.
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