Squatting in London’s most affluent neighbourhoods has doubled in a year thanks to an influx of migrants fleeing economic problems in their home countries, Daily Mail reported.
Applications for court orders to evict the intruders has doubled in the capital’s most affluent districts – such as Belgravia, Knightsbridge and Notting Hill – in a year.
The surge in the number of squatters has been blamed on poor European migrants, but experts also say the flood of foreign billionaires seeking homes in London are also responsible.
Having bought at the top end of the market they often leave properties vacant and vulnerable pending further costly renovations, allowing squatters to move in, the Mail said Saturday.