Almost £400,000 has been paid out by Greenwich Council over the past six years for damp, leaks and damage to council homes.

The £376,482 comes in the form of compensation and legal fees from a period from 2011-12 to 2015-16.

This total cost, which related to 243 properties, is the tenth highest amount of any local authority in the country.

Councillor Averil Lekau, cabinet member for housing and anti-poverty, has defended the council by pointing out how much the amount paid out has gone down over the years.

The damages and legal fees were £141,739 in 2011/12 but by 2015/16 this figure was £3,099.

In 2016/17, up to December 2016, there have been 49 claims but so far no payments have been made.

Cllr Lekau said: “This reflects the significant investment made by the Authority to improve its property and to ensure our accommodation is warm, weatherproof and dry.

“By way of illustration our nearest comparators Lambeth and Southwark both of whom have a large retained stock paid out over £10m each in compensation and legal fees over the same period.”

The largest number of claims have been made from people from Woolwich Common and Woolwich Riverside wars, with 79 and 78 claims made respectively.

Greenwich West ward council home residents have also made 78 claims since 2011.

In the 5-year period 2011/12 to 2016/17, the council received 671claims, of which 243 resulted in a payment being made.