Council houses worth more than half a million pounds have been seized from fraudsters after a probe found that they already owned their own property.
Hackney Council in north London confiscated seven homes, redistributing them to those most in need who had been on the waiting list for social housing for some time.
The council removed the owners from the properties after an investigation revealed they already owned other properties and had been subletting their council houses for personal financial gain.
The investigation discovered a total of 27 potential cases and 13 remain under ongoing investigation while another seven houses are in the process of being given to families ready to move in.
The shocking fraud was discovered following a pilot scheme collaboration between the Cabinet Office's Public Sector Fraud Authority and Hackney Council.
