Inspectors were left “fearing for their lives” after a leak caused a ceiling to collapse during a bust on a dodgy landlord.

Officers were called to a “house of horror” in South Harrow, where they found a string of safety hazards and a leak that had caused the kitchen to “rain indoors”.

During the visit, the room’s ceiling suddenly collapsed, missing the inspecting plumber by inches.

The landlord’s tenants were immediately moved to emergency accommodation – ending a three-month ordeal – over fears for their safety due to the electrics and appliances being surrounded by water and kitchen cabinets getting soaked.

Cllr Graham Henson, the cabinet member for environment, criticised the landlord for putting her tenants “in danger”.

He said: “You couldn’t make this up – if you saw this house of horrors in the movies, you wouldn’t believe it.

“This landlord is a real disgrace – to think left her tenants in such danger, in an argument about money.

“Well, now she has no tenants at all – and we’ll make sure she fixes the house – no matter how much it costs.”

The home’s tenants had pleaded to the council for help after their home became overrun with leaks and damp.

A broken cistern caused the entire bathroom to flood which then rained into the kitchen.

The landlord refused to repair it because the tenant fell into rent arrears, but now has to fit in a new bathroom and kitchen as well as fix the electrics and ensure the damp is gone.