ROGUE landlords rented out squalid flats with unsafe electrics, substandard kitchens, unsafe stairs, faulty fire alarms, and cracked windows.

Hamedur Choudhury, 57, and his wife Roshon, 48, let out two flats and staff accommodation above the Nizam restaurant in East Grinstead High Street.

Environmental health officers raided the flats in February last year and found the faults.

They told the Choudhury’s what work would need to be done to bring the properties up to scratch.

But the couple did not do any work voluntarily, so they were served with orders from Mid Sussex District Council.

When they failed to comply, the authority prosecuted them for the neglect.

They were found guilty of failing to comply with the terms of an Improvement Notice at Brighton Magistrates’ Court.

Hamedur was also found guilty of four offences under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2016.

Magistrate Chris Bell ordered the couple to pay more than £55,000 in fines and court costs.

The duo, of Copthorne Common Road, Copthorne, were previously fined nearly £88,000 at Horsham Magistrates’ Court for a property in Copthorne.

After the case last week Cllr Norman Webster said: “It is totally unacceptable for landlords to expect their tenants to live in the squalid conditions our officers found at East Grinstead High Street.

“The living conditions were not just unpleasant; they actually put the safety of the occupants at risk and that clearly cannot be tolerated because people should be able to live in a safe and decent home.

“All rented accommodation must provide a safe and healthy environment for tenants and their visitors.

“If these standards are not being met our advice is always to inform the landlord first, to give them the opportunity to fix any problems.

“However, if a rogue landlord refuses to take their responsibilities seriously then we won’t hesitate to take action against them to ensure that they comply with the law.”