Man told judge extension was caravan

A man came a cropper when he tried to convince a High Court judge that a first floor extension he was building was a caravan.

Trevor Hadjimina, of Relf Road in Peckham, started to build the timber structure in May last year without any planning permission. Southwark council planning officials applied for a High Court injunction to force Mr Hadjimina to remove the extension along with two other breaches.

Mr Hadjimina told a judge at the Royal Courts of Justice that the structure was a caravan and therefore he did not need planning permission.

The judge ruled against Mr Hadjimina and ordered him to remove everything he had built without planing permission.

He was also warned not to build anything without consent again. A Southwark council spokeswoman said: “Our planning enforcement team will take appropriate action against anyone who is seen to be flouting the rules.”