Council house was literally a pig sty

A pig was discovered roaming the downstairs of a council home by housing staff who had arrived to evict the tenant. The Gloucester Old Spot had the run of the downstairs of 20 Kingsley Street, Sinfin, Derby, including the bathroom and kitchen. Officials were confronted with the snout of the black-spotted pig when they opened the front door of the home following complaints from neighbours. The animal was standing on a carpet in the hallway which was covered in its droppings.



Families living nearby said they thought the pig had been cooped up in the house for more than a year. A dog was also discovered living with the pig and two Shetland ponies were known, by the RSPCA, to have previously been kept in the small back garden. One resident living in the same road, Kingsley Street, said: "I saw the man with the pig when it was tiny and he just had it in his hands outside the front of his home. I thought it was one of those micro-pigs which wouldn't grow."

That was about a year ago and since then the pig had not been seen by neighbours. But some residents reported smelling urine around the property when the weather was warm. Another resident said: "He used to chuck stuff outside in the middle of the night and once I saw laminate flooring soaked in poo and urine piled up outside the home."



Derby Homes, which manages council housing in the city, said the tenant was an "excessive hoarder" and that some rooms were so full of junk that they could not get in at all. Maria Murphy, director of housing and customer service, said it would cost between £10,000 and £15,000 to clear the damaged home. Mrs Murphy said the tenant arrived at his home as staff were gaining entry and took away the dog and pig. She said: "We'll try to trace the current whereabouts of the tenants and will pursue recovery of the costs of repair. The individual will not be eligible for housing with Derby Homes in the future. Thankfully, such cases are rare."

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