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A property tycoon who banned Indian and Pakistani tenants because he claimed they left his homes smelling of curry has been told his policy is illegal.

Landlord Fergus Wilson, aged 69, said that the reason behind his request was because of the cost of removing the smell of curry at the end of their tenancy.

On Wednesday, Maidstone County Court ruled that this was unlawful and that he must drop the policy.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission sought an injunction against him after he directed a lettings agency not to rent his homes to "coloured" tenants because of curry smells left at the end of the lease.

The EHRC said it asked the court to decide whether his lettings policy contained "unlawful criteria" and if so, to issue an injunction to prevent a breach of equality laws.

Chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath said: "We welcome this outlawing by the court of Mr Wilson's discriminatory letting policy.

"Denial of a home on the grounds of race or colour is abhorrent conduct we do not accept in today's society.

The court ruled that refusing to rent or let a property based on race is unlawful as it breaches section 12 of the Equality Act 2010.

The millionaire hit the papers earlier this year when his letting criteria was leaked on the Internet. After receiving intense backlash Mr Wilson called the police.

He claims that he is not a racist and believes that his demands are legitimate.

Speaking to the Standard back in March, he said: "It is not the colour of their skin, but the smell of the curry."

The court granted an injunction against his unlawful rules and if he continues with his policy he will be fined under the Contempt of Court Act.

In the past he has also said he will not rent to zero-hours workers, single parents, "battered wives", housing benefit recipients and parents with children under the age of 18.

Speaking outside court after the judgement, Mr Wilson maintained there was a "problem" with people "cooking curries" in their homes.

He said: "It gets into the carpets, it gets into the walls.

"You'll find that most landlords think the same. I'm here because I said it."

He said the remarks were "a bit of adolescent banter", adding: "The real issue here is nothing about right or wrong or whether it's lawful, it's really the investment strategy of new entrants to buy-to-let.

"Many of them will not purchase at all now.

"Because of what happened, because of that email being sent off, there will be people who will not be housed, people not buying buy-to-let properties, and the Government needs private investors to buy buy-to-let properties."

He denied being racist, adding: "I have far more coloured people, black people I mean, in Ashford [as tenants] than the average, so therefore I say I can't be racist, otherwise I wouldn't have any."