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Up to 40 people were crammed into a squalid house - sharing just ONE toilet between them.

Harrow Council made the grim discovery when housing enforcement officers searched the home in Edgware last month, and found 17 people sleeping on back to back mattresses.

The council believes that up to 40 people, mostly Eastern Europeans, were living inside the property, before they carried out the dawn raid.

Photos snapped by housing officers show how they could barely see the floor of the three-bedroom house, as it was covered with mattresses.

A letting agent, based in Harrow, could now face prosecution after the home was searched on suspicion of overcrowding and being let without a HMO (House of Multiple Occupancy) licence.

(Image: Harrow Council)

Cllr Graham Henson, cabinet member for environment, crime and community safety, said: “It’s troubling to see yet another case of overcrowding in Harrow.

"It’s not safe, it’s not sanitary, and it exploits people who deserve somewhere decent to live, just like everyone else. Our licensing scheme is there to ensure incidents like this don’t happen.

“While the majority of landlords and agents operate properly and safety, there are a few who think they can flout the rules.

"We are not afraid to take action – if we suspect foul play or wrongdoing we will carry out raids and will seek to prosecute.”

The owner of the property lives abroad, so it is managed by a letting agent who the council have had previous issues with, after finding they were letting other overcrowded properties.

Harrow Council now hopes to prosecute the agent for operating without an HMO licence.

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