Hunt for home owner in line for £65,000 payout

East Riding Council took out the compulsory purchase order on 98 Seaton Road, in Hessle, which had been empty for 15 years.

A land tribunal has ordered that £65,000 be paid to Richard Denby in compensation. At one time bailiffs were sent to Germany to find Mr Denby, who owns properties in Hull and the East Riding, and is thought to own others elsewhere in the UK.

Private sector housing manager Peter Jackson said: “He is known to abide in the area, but clearly he’s not always there. We know he rents property from time to time in different locations which makes him quite difficult to track down.”