A LANDLORD was fined and ordered to pay costs totalling £2,700 after pleading guilty to failing to maintain a house in Watford.

Watford Council brought the prosecution after repeated complaints from tenants renting the house in Westbury Road.

The defects included cracked windows and leaking plumbing but the house was not deemed unfit to live in.

A repairs notice was served on the landlord, Mr Mehar Khan, of Cassiobury Drive, Watford, in July 1996 but the work was not done.

By November last year inspectors concluded the house had fallen into further disrepair and the authority decided to bring a prosecution.

The case was heard at Watford Magistrates Court on Monday and Mr Khan pleaded guilty by letter.

Ms Vanessa Cole, environmental health manager, said: "I would hope a fine like this acts as a warning to other landlords.

"We were given assurances the work would be carried out but we re-inspected several times and nothing had been done.

"This was not a case of the property being unfit, they were more running repairs that were not done. The length of time this has taken shows we were trying to work with the landlord but at the end of the day when the work was not done we had the power to enforce the legislation."

Magistrates fined Mr Khan £1,500 and ordered him to pay £1,200 costs to Watford Council. The landlord has now completed the repairs.

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