A hoarder has been evicted from the flat where he has lived for more than 50 years.
An order issued by Stevenage Magistrates’ Court in July to evict Wilfred James from his flat in Jarden, Letchworth, came into force at 11.30am on Tuesday. The 78-year-old’s landlord North Hertfordshire Homes applied for the eviction because of the fire risk posed by Mr James’ collecting and because of threats to kill he made to their staff.
The former RAF radio apprentice, who is a big science fiction fan and collects books and computers, has now moved into the Garden Lodge Hotel in Sollershott East at North Herts District Council’s expense.
He said: “I feel just short of committing suicide.
“I was considering ending it all because everything I have is in that flat but I changed my mind after receiving tremendous support from the council and the CAB.”
Victoria Hisgrove of North Hertfordshire Homes said: “We recognise that this is a distressing time for Mr James.
“Evicting a tenant is absolutely the last thing we would ever wish to do and we have tried very hard to make the process as sympathetic as possible.”
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