'Mole man' handed £283,000 repair bill

A retired engineer, who spent 40 years excavating tunnels underneath his home, has been ordered to pay £283,000 for repairs that saved his house from collapse.

William Lyttle's 20-bedroom Victorian property in Hackney, east London, was supported in some areas by nothing more than "household appliances" and ceilings had collapsed.

Mr Lyttle, 77, know as "mole man", put cars, boats and other items into holes he dug.



Mr Lyttle was evicted by Hackney council in 2006 to enable workmen to save the house, a neighbour's property and the pavement, which had also been burrowed under.

At the High Court on Monday Mr Lyttle was ordered to pay the council for the repairs and £10,000 in legal costs.

An injunction was imposed on Mr Lyttle to prevent him undoing any of the repair work.