A rogue landlord in Hounslow has been stripped of his licences in a 'landmark ruling' after letting out filthy bedsits which were potential death traps.

Hounslow Council revoked Ifthikar Uddin's licences for properties in Avonwick Drive and Fairfields Road on the grounds he was not a 'fit and proper' person to hold them.

The council also banned the 48-year-old, of Ashley Drive, Osterley, from acting as a managing agent for any house with multiple occupiers.

Mr Uddin appealed against the sanctions, which were imposed during the summer, but they were upheld in a Property Chamber tribunal last month and the ruling has just been made public.

The council said it was one of the first authorities in the country to use the 'fit and proper' test to revoke a landlord's licences, potentially paving the way for similar measures nationwide.

Hounslow Council leader Steve Curran said: "We will not tolerate rogue landlords in Hounslow. Where we have the evidence and power we will crack down hard on these parasites who are making profits from vulnerable people, often on sky high rents."

The tribunal heard how Mr Uddin had rented out bedsits in houses without holding the necessary licence, which is required for any house in the borough with three or more unrelated occupiers.

It was also told how houses he owned or managed had been found with inadequate fire safety, dangerous boilers and electrical hazards, as well as being riddled with damp and mould.

In one property, the tenants had no control of the heating or hot water supply, which were controlled by their landlord living next door.

Officers also described how 16 people were found living in one two-storey, four-bedroom house, and how one room was less than half the legal minimum size of 6.5sqm, with barely enough space for a bed.

Mr Uddin was company secretary of Key Property (UK), in Bell Road, Hounslow, when the letting agency was fined £42,500 in September last year after being found guilty at Feltham Magistrates' Court of 15 housing offences.

The director of the firm, which also traded under the names Key Solutions and Key Lettings, was Adibah Uddin.

In October, a couple of rogue landlords were ordered to pay more than £80,000 after renting out so-called 'beds in sheds' in Hounslow.

Mr Curran last month said landlords across the borough may soon be forced to register with the council to ensure their properties are up to scratch.