Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

The three properties were in a poor state and were a risk to vulnerable tenants.

A private landlord who let three of his properties fall into dangerous disrepair has been ordered to pay almost £14,000 after a court case brought by Burnley Council.

Preston Magistrates’ Court heard that David Waddington allowed vulnerable tenants to live in conditions that potentially caused a risk to their health and safety.

Join our new WhatsApp Community to get the latest news and top stories from across Lancashire directly to your phone.

These included damp and mould, exposed electrical hazards, holes in the ceiling, excessive cold and fire risk.

Waddington, whose last known address was in Pendleton, Clitheroe, admitted three offences of breaching improvement notices under the Housing Act 2004.

Preston Magistrates Court where David Waddington’s court case took place. (Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard)

He was fined £3,840 per property (a total of £11,520) and ordered to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge and £450 in costs.

A council spokesperson said: “After almost two years’ of investigation and serving legal notices on the landlord, we’ve finally seen some kind of justice for his tenants.

“They were all vulnerable in one way or another and were forced to live in such poor conditions that you could see the effect it was having on their health and well-being.

“The vast majority of private landlords care about the conditions their tenants live in and do their best to look after them.

“The message needs to get out that Burnley Council won’t tolerate those poor landlords that don’t care about their tenants and the sometimes appalling conditions they are forced to live in. We don’t want them in our borough.”

The court was told that council officers initially visited one of the properties after complaints were raised.

The poor state of the house caused council officers to look at other properties owned by Waddington and similar issues were found in the other two houses.

Waddington was told to carry out a list of repairs, but officers returned to find only minor work had been done so he was served with improvement notices on all three properties.

The court heard that Waddington had been given ample time to comply with the improvement notices but failed to do so.

The council is working with contractors to carry out repair work to remove the hazards and make the houses safe.

Why not follow our East Lancashire Facebook Page for more news in the area.

Landlord ordered to pay £14k fine after letting his Burnley properties fall into dangerous disrepair