A truly horrific case has resulted in a landlord being fined £32,070 after he let out a small terrace house that the court said could have killed his foreign tenants.

Every single space in the property other than the kitchen and bathroom was used as a bedroom, including a space where the ceiling was less than four feet high.

Tenants at the house in Darlington were also found sleeping on the floor.

The tenants were described at Darlington Magistrates Court on Monday as vulnerable and exploited.

Officers at Darlington Borough Council and the Border Agency uncovered an “appallingly dangerous” property overcrowded by the tenants.

Fire exits were blocked, fittings were broken, there was no gas safety certificate, plug sockets were overloaded and electrical fittings were left dangling.

Mizan Abdin, 27, did not attend the hearing but pleaded guilty by letter to 17 counts of failing to comply with HMO regulations and one of failing to have a licence to manage his property.