A family home built without planning permission has been bulldozed after the owner lost a 14-year legal battle with a local council.

Photos released to KentOnline show council contractors demolishing the brick-built house in Chislet near Canterbury.

The unnamed owner had been repeatedly refused planning permission for the structure and three caravans alongside.

Canterbury City Council planning chiefs say the breaches of planning law had been “flagrant” and they were left with no choice but to serve demolition notice.

A timber-framed chalet-style bungalow had been initially built on the site on Hollow Street without consent in 2002.

The land is earmarked for agricultural use and sits within a conservation area.

According to the council, a year later the structure was replaced with a brick house – again without planning permission.

Over the years it has been extended and caravans had been added to the site.

The owner was repeatedly refused planning permission and has lost appeals with the independent Planning Inspectorate.

Enforcement notices had been ignored and the council secured a court order demanding the owner remove the building and caravans.

This was also ignored.

Demolition work began on Monday, March 14 and continued throughout that week.

The site has been completely cleared and top soiled and returned to its historically lawful use for agriculture.

Ian Brown, the council’s assistant director of planning and regeneration, said: “Demolishing a house is a highly unusual step for us to take, but this was a flagrant breach of planning law and when all other avenues open to us have been exhausted, it is the only action left.

“It should be seen as a clear sign that we will not tolerate unauthorised development in our district.

“We are very confident that the widely held public view is that if buildings do go up without planning permission, they expect us to tackle such breaches. Chislet Parish Council has fully supported the action we took.

“We made extensive efforts to resolve the matter, but were left with no choice but to demolish the property.

“We tried to work with the owner to find alternative accommodation for him and his wife.

"Our housing officers wrote to him and visited but he declined our offers of help and made his own rehousing arrangements.”