A PROPERTY landlord was arrested and held by police for eight hours for chasing up a tenant who left her home in a horrendous state and hadn't paid the rent.

Wendy Batt, 46, from Hockley, who owns and rents out several properties in south Essex, had been renting a flat to a couple in Shoebury.

However, the tenants were getting further and further behind in rent and, after neighbours reported bad smells coming from the property, Mrs Batt decided to visit the house.

She was confronted with piles of junk inside the house and out, animal faeces across the carpet, and clothes still left on the clothesline.

Mrs Batt realised the tenants had fled the property, leaving her out of pocket and with a huge clean-up bill.

She said: "They left my house in a terrible state and owed me rent as well. They left cats in there who had been peeing and pooing all over it.

"The place smelt disgusting, which is why the neighbours first let me know about it. All the floorboards had to be taken up and it was a right job to clean it."

Mrs Batt was told by a neighbour where one of the tenants worked, and contacted her three times to try and recoup her money.

But she was arrested on suspicion of harassment for her efforts, questioned by police for eight hours and released on bail. Six weeks later, when she turned up to answer bail, she was told she would face no charges.

Mrs Batt said: "It was completely ridiculous. I spoke to my lawyer, who said there was no way it could have been considered harassment.

"A neighbour told me where the tenant worked so I called her a couple of times because she left no forwarding address and wasn't answering her mobile.

"But I was the one who was arrested. I was in the cells for about eight hours. I can't believe this has happened when I was just trying to chase up the money I was owed. I'm not going to let it go and will be taking it to court."

Police spokesman Nishan Wijeratne confirmed Ms Batt had been arrested on suspicion of harassment and released without charge.