A Staffordshire private landlords]'s life and property were left in' tatters', after finally managing to evict her nightmare tenant who had caused £20,000 of damages to the house and had turned it into a drug's den.

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The landlord Jean Fox, after getting rid of the tenant which took more than five months, was left with having to pay out £20,000 on repairs and cleaning.

The former tenant had refused to pay rent for several months and the state of the house was appalling as it had been turned into an absolute tip.

Walls were covered in graffiti and had turned mouldy; rooms were filled with the tenant's belongings, rubbish was strewn everywhere and doors had holes in them.

The landlord had lived in her former house in Bentilee with her late husband and in 2014 decided to rent the property out.

Fox said: “It was a beautiful house and I was watching it being destroyed.

“The disrespect was disgusting, it was a cesspit. Every door and every wall was bashed. Everywhere was filthy and it stank. There was damp and mildew and graffiti on the walls.

“The front door was held together by bits of wood because it had been broken by police doing raids. There were cannabis pots and a tent, bongs and other drugs paraphernalia left.

“The electricity meter was tampered with, the kitchen and the bathroom were wrecked. It made me physically sick.

“I had to completely redo the whole house.”

On numerous occasions several neighbours had complained to Fox about the incessanty loud music being played in the house and many visitors were turning up at the house at all hours.

Police raids were carried out and found illegal drugs and substances, they advised the landlord to report the tenant to the council.

Fox continued: “Neighbours told me about all sorts of things going on in the house – drugs, fighting, cars always coming and going, people going in and out at all hours.

“There were police raids as well as loud music, banging, shouting and screaming inside the property.

“I went to the police who said I should go to the council because it was anti-social behaviour.”

Fox obviously decided to gain repossession of the house, however it became even more tortuous for her as she had to go to county court to evict the tenant, because at the time he had been jailed for motoring offences.

She added: “The system needs to be shaken up.

“People always talk about nightmare landlords but it needs to be highlighted that this is what can happen to good landlords.

“It was a living nightmare and it pushed me to the limit.

“Why was he allowed to flout the law?