Housing boss faces jail over ants in flat block

A housing chief has been threatened with jail after failing to get rid of an ant infestation at a block of flats.

Sue Foster, Lambeth council's director of housing, regeneration and environment, is accused of breaking a court order that demanded the infestation be removed.

A judge ruled in November that the council had to deal with the huge numbers of pharaoh ants in a flat in Camberwell following a complaint.

But after five months, the court demanded to know why Ms Foster had failed to deal with the infestation and issued a further order which states: "You must obey the directions contained in this order. If you do not, you will be guilty of contempt of court and you may be sent to prison."

She is due at Lambeth county court on June 10 to explain what has gone wrong. A Lambeth spokeswoman said they were hoping to complete the work "in the very near future".