A London council is cracking down on cheating tenants.
Southwark is targeting people who sub-let their council homes and pocket the rent they charge.
In one case a tenant rented his flat for £800 a week, while working in America and owning property there.
Those responsible are prosecuted, and their homes given to families on the waiting list.Liz Wickham reports.
Council homes, that were illegally sublet or occupied by fraudsters, have been seized back by London Borough Councils.
Read the full storyLondon Borough Councils have seized hundreds of council properties back after discovering some were being illegally sublet or occupied by fraudsters.
ITV News London contacted each London Borough Council to find how widespread the problem is. Below are the Borough Councils that submitted data to us.
Southwark Council have seized back over 300 Council houses after discovering widespread abuse by tenants. Authorities found properties were being illegally occupied or sublet by fraudsters.
Councillor Richard Livingstone says it is important for the council to act as there are currently 20,000 families on the housing waiting list.
There have also been cases of tenants buying property under the right-to-buy act illegally.
Councillor Livingstone says some cases have been traced and prosecuted with the property returned to the council.
Over 300 council homes, that were illegally sublet or occupied by fraudsters, have been seized back by one London Council.
The London Borough of Southwark says it has discovered widespread abuse by tenants, who are secretly moving elsewhere and renting out their council homes for profit.
One example was a two-bedroom maisonette owned by Southwark Council in Peckham. It was let to a tenant for around £109 per week.
But authorities discovered he owned a property in Kent and was subletting the Peckham flat, earning himself around £500 per week.
The flat fell into a dilapidated state and the council are now making repairs before letting it to a deserving tenant.
Several Sunday newspapers are reporting that Tory MP for WIndsor, Adam Afriyie, is being tipped to be the next Tory leader.The self-made IT millionaire from Peckham became the party's first black MP in 2005.
In response to the rumours Mr Afriyie told the Mail on Sunday:
"You are being very mischievous. I supported David Cameron to become leader. I love him and want him to be leader for the next 20 years."
Stuart Lawrence - whose brother Stephen was the victim of a racist attack in 1993 - says he was forced to complain to police after he was pulled over in November, near his home in Peckham.
The 35 year old teacher claims that when he asked officers why he'd been stopped, he was told they were "naturally suspicious" of him.
He sent a letter of complaint to the Metropolitan Police yesterday, naming officers he claims were involved in the latest incident. Mr Lawrence told the Daily Mail:
– Stuart LawrenceI am being targeted because of the colour of my skin, I don't think it's because I am Stephen's brother.
Whenever I have been stopped, I have never subsequently been charged with anything, and nothing has ever been found to be wrong with my car.
I have never, ever, done anything wrong. I have never been in trouble with the law. I have paid my road tax and my insurance, and always tried to keep my cars in a roadworthy state.
It is twenty years since Windsor Castle was badly damaged by a huge fire. Mike Pearse has been to meet some of the people who helped to renovate it at a cost of £35 million.
Labour London Assembly Member Fiona Twycross was part of the group that toured a food bank in Peckham. She says the number of people who need to use them has shot up over the last six months.
A group of London Assembly members visited a foodbank in Peckham this morning as they examine the problems that some residents have to pay for food. It is estimated that 17,000 Londoners used a foodbank in the last six months.
