A man is at risk of being evicted from his childhood home because he refuses to give up a makeshift power supply the council say is "unsafe".
Pensioner Ken May keeps car batteries charged using a petrol generator and keeps gas canisters lying around the home he's lived in since 1955.
But the 67-year-old's approach to energy has irked the council and they're threatening to boot him out of his house in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
He was initially given 28 days to pack his bags over safety concerns about fuel storage, but has since been granted a six months reprieve.
Gateshead Council also forced him to clear rubbish piled up both inside and outside his home.
Authorities say the only way for him to stay in the home he grew up in is to remove "unsafe items", reconnect his electrical supply to the mains and let inspectors in to check, reports The Sun.
Since the decision, some handy neighbours and other volunteers have helped Mr May decorate the walls and clear out his garden.
Kindhearted neighbours even bought him a new bed, a trim at the barbers and a brand new set of clothes.
However there are concerns that his new look and efforts to revamp the property may not work, and that he might still be evicted.
Mr May, a Merchant Navy sailor before his retirement, said: "I still have this eviction notice hanging over my head.
"I am happy to try my best to reconnect to the mains electricity but I don't see why I should lose my petrol generator.
"What I am hoping to do is to fuse the mains supply with my home made supply. Essentially, I only need 50 watts to power my whole house.
Mr May says his DIY grid is not breaking any laws, and that the council have "no legal right" to remove his supply.
Due to the wording of their notice, Mr May is worried the council will follow through on the eviction even if he meets all their requirements and says he would be "absolutely devastated" if he had to leave.
He also thinks the reason the council is making such a fuss is so they won't have to pay for rubbish removal "if someone else moves in.
In 2019, Gateshead Council cut off his electric supply as they feared he was bypassing the mains system with his own power.
But news of his eviction soon sparked a resistance movement in the community, with 30 volunteers showing up to help him fight for his property.
A group of 10 volunteers were seen painting the outside walls of his home yesterday and tidying up his garden and bedrooms, Sun Online reports.
Mr May stressed how grateful he was for the help and that he has been "astounded by the kindness of strangers".
He added the volunteers make him feel like the "world is a better place".
Gateshead Council told the Mirror the "last resort" of eviction is used after "all other options" have been explored.
The Council said: "We have a duty to keep tenants and their neighbours safe.
"Any legal action is always viewed as a very last resort and only taken when all other options have been fully explored with customers.
"We keep in regular contact with customers and we always offer support before contemplating any action.
"We make customers fully aware of the steps they should take in order to keep their property safe and we also advise them in a lot of detail how they can avoid the need for any form of action."
