Clampdown call over rogue landlords

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Town hall chiefs have urged magistrates to use new powers to impose much bigger fines on rogue landlords - warning the present "paltry" punishments are a drop in the ocean compared to the income they get from exploiting tenants.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said its efforts to bring to book individuals who housed people in "hell hole conditions" were being frustrated by an overly-complicated legal process that often left local taxpayers out of pocket.