Toilet flushings discharged into the rear yard of a property and fire alarms broken or not working.

These incidents led to the landlord being made by a court to pay more than £10,000 in fines and costs.

The licensed house in multiple occupation (HMO) was in East Cliff, Dover.

Landlord Fernando Xavier Da Moura Monteiro was found guilty of 22 Housing Act offences at a hearing at Margate Magistrates Court.

He was fined £5,400, with £5,000 costs and £50 victim surcharge, a total of £10,450.

The property was inspected by officers from Dover District Council on a number of occasions in 2017 and 2018.

It was found to have several defects including broken or non-working fire alarms, a deterioration and breach of fire safety measures, and accumulations of waste including foul waste discharging into the rear yard.

This case specifically included flushings from the toilet but would also include wastewater from sinks and baths.

Overall the property was in a poor state of repair and breached a number of management regulations and licence conditions.

Efforts by the council officers to get the landlord to improve the property failed.

And last August, when inspected again, the property was in such a serious condition in relation to the fire alarm system and electrics that the council made an emergency order to prohibit the use of the property for occupation.

Following the making of the Prohibition Order, last November 12, officers again visited the premises and discovered that Mr Da Moura Monteiro had allowed parts of the property to be occupied, in breach of the order.

The prosecution was brought by Dover District Council.

The defendant was fined for not complying with the Emergency Prohibition Order and for breaches of housing management regulations and his licence conditions.

Cllr Pauline Beresford, DDC cabinet member for housing, said after the court case: “We continue to work hard to ensure that private sector residents are living in accommodation that is well maintained, safe and warm.

"We take robust legal action where landlords fail to comply with the regulations and their obligations."