High court enforcement officers used sledgehammers and battering rams in a bid to evict more than 100 people from a north London housing estate awaiting redevelopment.
The confrontation began shortly before 8am on Wednesday and comes six months after the former Ministry of Defence housing estate, Sweets Way in Whetstone, was occupied by housing activists protesting against the eviction of families, many of whom were previously homeless.
Police dog teams, ambulances and fire engines were on standby as several people who have been occupying the homes since March climbed on to the roofs and refused to come down.
Those evicted described how enforcement officers smashed down their doors without warning and gave them 10 minutes to leave. They said there were violent confrontations with some people being carried out, including one man in his seventies. One person reportedly suffered a cut face after a window was smashed in during the evictions.
“We were scared,” said Carolina, 33, who is six months pregnant and said she now had nowhere to sleep. “They pushed in the doors and about eight of the officers came into each house. It is just unfair. Winter is coming and the number of homeless is growing.”
The squatters’ belongings – including Hula Hoops, curtains, washing-up bowls and bicycles – were piled up in the roads as enforcement officers brought a cherry-picker into the area to try to remove protesters from the roofs.
Wednesday’s action against squatters and housing protesters is the final act of a long-running dispute over the estate, which came to national attention when comedian Russell Brand joined a sleepover there.
The case of the final tenant, Mostafa Aliverdipour, who is severely disabled and refusing to leave because he believes the replacement home he is being offered is not appropriate, is expected to be heard in court on Wednesday afternoon.
Another couple, Jay and Bibi, who are in their early 20s and had squatted in the properties for a couple of months, told the Guardian they were homeless again as they left the estate with a duvet and a few bags of belongings.
“We are going to get a train into central London and try and sleep under a building,” Jay said. “Some people have places to stay, but we are homeless. We are going to sleep rough. It is just part of this corrupt system. When I was working, if I had been paid double, worked twice as many hours and saved everything, I would only have been able to afford a £100,000 house and what can you buy for that?”
He added he had been able to furnish the house with carpets and furniture as if it was his own.
There were skirmishes between protesters and police, while enforcement officers and squatters played cat-and-mouse as they tried to intercept bags of food and drink being thrown up to squatters on the roofs.
Annington Homes, the property company controlled by Guy Hands’ Terra Firma investment operation, is planning to replace the 142-home estate with 288 new dwellings. It said 20% of the new homes – at least 59 – will be classed as affordable.
“Annington very much supports the argument for more homes, both in London and elsewhere although there is a need for development to achieve this,” a spokesman said. “It is regrettable when homes need to be demolished, but Annington’s decision to develop will see an increase in the number of homes by 100%.
“Today’s action relates to the mass eviction of over 50 properties currently illegally occupied by squatters. Two high court writs of possession have been issued for high court enforcement officers working in conjunction with police to clear the illegal occupation of the estate.”
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