The papers can never resist stories about squatters being given the legal rights to multi-million pound assets - particularly when they involve prime bits of London real estate.
The latest such story involves 71-year-old tramp Harry Hallowes who, according to the Independent, has lived in a shack on a corner of fashionable Hampstead Heath on the grounds of a Victorian nursing home for 18 years. He has now been made the official owner of the
GBP2m plot for the rest of his life under a planning agreement.
The Telegraph explains that because Mr Hallowes has lived in the shack for more than 12 years, he was able to claim squatter's rights. The developer of the land takes a refreshingly tolerant attitude to Mr Hallowes, describing him as a "very nice chap".
The Independent says Mr Hallowes' days "are simple, and consist of little more than chopping wood, cooking on a small gas stove and collecting water from the outdoor taps of nearby friends". He tells the paper: "I just want to carry on as I am."
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