A six year planning wrangle has ended with a man who flouted laws having a building in his garden torn down.

Wallington man Neil Woodward built a supposed games room in his Hawthorn Road back garden without planning permission in summer 2006.

Six years and four court rulings later, the detached building has been knocked down and Mr Hawthorne has been ordered to pay £20,000 in fines and legal fees.

Councillor Jayne McCoy, chairwoman of the housing, economy and business committee, said: "This is a tremendous victory not only for the council, but also for Mr Woodward’s neighbours who have had to live with this construction for six years.

"We take a dim view of developers who flout planning laws and seek to circumvent the proper processes and will continue to fight to maintain the look of the borough and protect its residents from future unlawful developments."

Mr Woodward appeared in court in front of Croydon magistrates and pleaded guilty to one count of failing to comply with an enforcement notice. He was fined £8,000 and ordered to make a £12,000 contribution to legal costs. The building was knocked down earlier this month.