An Edgware man is fighting eviction after his housing association told him he had to leave because of anti-social behaviour.

Eddie Anstey, 55, who suffers from heart and liver problems, has lived on the Ash Close estate in Edgware for seven years.

Last Thursday he received a letter from housing association Habinteg serving him with a “notice of seeking possession on the grounds of noise nuisance.”

The letter went on to tell Mr Anstey “your behaviour is having an extremely serious effect on your neighbours, who are experiencing distress and disruption to their lives and are kept awake at night by you and your guests.”

Mr Anstey had taken in a friend who had been evicted from his house in Roseway for causing trouble. This friend was later arrested for attempting to break into the house of another person on the estate.

He added: “I was sorry for him and put him up, but I’ve kicked him out. He won’t be coming back.”

He added he was “gutted” at the prospect of being evicted.

Mr Anstey said: “I have nowhere else to go. I’ll probably end up sleeping on a bench outside the flat.”

Some of his neighbours are supporting Mr Anstey in his fight against eviction.

Olwen Cuthbertson, 80, who used to work for housing association John Grooms, said she did not see why Mr Anstey should be evicted.

She said: “Eddie is a poor soul who doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. He needs care and I don’t think Habinteg cares about its residents or properly assesses them before they come here.”

Resident Vincent Bathie said: “I am worried what happens if they throw him out. I’m worried the next time I come across him he will be dead in a gutter.”

Tenants’ representative for Ash Close Terry Wilis said he was “furious” at the way Mr Anstey had been treated by Habinteg.

He said: “Eddie’s not the problem, the problem is the other man who was staying with him.

“Eddie’s not well, he’s easily taken advantage of, it’s not fair Habinteg should pick on him.”

A spokesman from Habinteg said: “As a responsible housing provider we respect the privacy of all our tenants so we are not able to discuss the detail of any individual tenancy or any tenant’s circumstances.

“We do have a clear policy and procedure for addressing antisocial behaviour which we follow if concerns are reported to us. We work closely with tenants to resolve such issues and collaborate with all appropriate external agencies to achieve satisfactory solutions.”