Queen Elizabeth's run-down property scandal

Aug 4, 2006, 17:12 GMT

Britain's Queen Elizabeth has been named the owner of a run-down, rat-infested building.

Council officials in Manchester, England, were keen to find the 'irresponsible' owner of an abandoned two-bedroom terraced house, which had become an eyesore to local residents.

After a thorough search, the startled officials discovered the owner was in fact the queen.

The council has now written to royal solicitors Farrer & Co demanding action be taken to renovate the decaying property, after receiving complaints from neighbours.

Stuart McCabe, who lives nearby, said: 'We've had rats in the backyard, pigeons, mice - you name it.'

Manchester council are hopeful the ownership of the house will be passed to them or a private developer.

Councillor Jackie Pearcey said: 'In the past, I've told officers I want action taken on a house and didn't care if the queen owned it.

'But it's the first time a house has actually been owned by the queen.'

The property - which has been abandoned for more than a decade - was owned by a company, which went bankrupt and the executives refused to claim responsibility for the site.

Under historic law, ownership of an abandoned building is automatically passed to the local duchy - and the jurisdiction of the duchy in Manchester belongs to the monarch.

The boarded-up brick building is a far cry from the monarch's other glamorous residences, which include Buckingham Palace, Balmoral and Windsor Castle.

In comparison with the two-bedroom home, Buckingham palace boasts 775 rooms, with walls decorated with Rubens and Rembrandt paintings and a 16 hectare garden.

Copyright 2006 BANG Media International