A school caretaker who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl has been evicted from the house in the grounds of a Watford primary school after a year-long court battle.

But taxpayers have been left to pick up the bill for his new accommodation.

Judge Peter Nathan overturned on Friday a previous ruling at Watford County Court and granted Hertfordshire County Council a possession order to remove Timothy Martin from the caretaker's cottage at Beechfield School.

Martin was convicted of sexual activity with a child at St Albans Crown Court on May 9.

He had been allowed to remain on the Gammons Lane school premises since the allegations, dating back to last June, first surfaced despite applications by the county council, due to a "technicality" in his lease.

In the short hearing last Friday Ross Fentem, representing the council, said the "notice to quit" was more urgent than ever since the Watford Observer broke the story.

"This has unfortunately gained the attention of the members of the press. The local residents and parents are unsurprisingly concerned about the circumstances," he said.

Martin was not at court to oppose the order. It emerged that he had not objected to similar applications dating back to December, when District Judge John Rhodes erroneously refused the council's attempts to evict him.

Mr Fentem said Martin, who never took up his job at the school, welcomed eviction because in that way it would be the local authority's responsibility to rehouse him and his family.

Delivering his verdict Judge Nathan said: "I make a possession order forthwith.

"That is the proper order to make and I am satisfied the defendant, his partner and children will be rehoused by the local authority immediately."

He added: "What was an absurd, worrying and untenable situation for the parents and local authority has now been resolved."

However there was uncertainty as to which authority was funding Martin's new accommodation.

The legal responsibility lies with the local authority which, in this case, is Watford Borough Council.

However the council said it had no record of this.

The county council, however, refused to comment on allegations that it was in fact paying for Martin's new home.

When asked if the county council was funding his new accommodation, a county representative declined to comment.

The county was prepared, however, to comment on Martin's eviction.

A statement said: "We are pleased that the court has upheld our appeal and granted an immediate possession order for the caretaker's premises and we can now continue eviction proceedings against Timothy Martin.

"We take child protection very seriously and have worked very hard within the legal framework to have Timothy Martin removed from the school site.

"Measures have been taken by the school to ensure the safety of all the children attending the school, at all times. Martin had no access to the school buildings and the security doors have been kept locked. The headteacher has monitored the safety of pupils entering and leaving the school."