A west London landlord has been fined almost £40,000 after letting out garden shed to a family with a six-month-old baby.

Din Dayal Verma let out overcrowded, rat-infested properties with a total of 16 people found crammed into a house and outbuildings at 33 Station Road, Hounslow.

Verma, of Bath Road, Hounslow, was convicted at Feltham Magistrates Court of 14 housing offences, after being prosecuted by Hounslow Council.

Steve Curran, Hounslow Council leader, said: "Hounslow Council has a zero tolerance approach to these slum landlords who are preying on some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

"It's outrageous in the twenty first century people have to live in these Dickensian conditions but I can assure residents we will not relent in our war to wipe out these modern day slums from our borough."

Verma was fined £24,500 and ordered to pay £14,732 in costs and charges.

The court was informed that council officers had discovered filthy and cramped conditions at the property, including raw sewage and dead rats in the rear garden. They found 10 people living in the main house and six within illegal outbuildings in the garden.

The property had poor fire safety arrangements, filthy kitchens and bathrooms, and people living in the attic, which was unfit for human habitation. The property was not licensed as a house of multiple occupation (HMO), as is required by law to ensure homes are properly managed.