I was once the victim of squatters.

They did not move into my property, but next door.

I had just left home and was extremely proud of my rented one bedroom house – not flat – to such an extent I did more housework then, than I do now (much to my wife’s annoyance).

But it was completely ruined by a group of squatters. This was not a bad area either, a ten-year-old development in suburbia. It was just unfortunate that I lived next door to the only empty house on the estate.

They seemed decent enough people and, being a young man living alone, I was actually on first name terms with two of the five.

However, they would play music at a ridiculous level until the morning; left an unimaginable amount of rubbish in the communal parking area attracting rats and regularly held raucous parties by candlelight – one of which I was invited to but politely declined – not just at the weekend, but during the week too.

Police and council officers were regular visitors and so the entire situation became untenable.

Renting the property I simply told my landlord I could not put up with it anymore and put an end to my monthly rolling contract (luckily I had refused his initial offer of a six month rental agreement).

Thankfully, now as a homeowner and parent, I have not fallen foul of squatters since.

But those horrible memories returned last week as I read our article about squatters unofficially getting on the property ladder in Inkerman Road.

Not just five but 20 of them who have made several properties, owned by Tesco, their home.

They also show no sign of leaving, revealing their intentions to all via a scrawled message which reads: “We live in this property and we intend to stay here.”

As I left my rented accommodation all those years ago, my landlord, who also owned the property next door was furiously attempting to get them out.

Working as a reporter he asked me to write an article about how ridiculous ‘squatter’s rights’ were.

I bumped into him a few years later and he told me it took weeks to get them out, and in the end that was only because they decided to move on. He has since arranged for a letting agent to deal with his clients - both wanted and unwanted.

The problem facing those affected in Inkerman Road is that the owners will not be in any real hurry to move them on.

Our more cynical readers have, for some time, suggested that Tesco will let the area fall further and further into disrepair so that those who initially protested against its proposed superstore, will perform a u-turn and welcome any improvements to the dilapidated site.

So we asked the supermarket what was going on and what action it was prepared to take.

Last week those in Inkerman Road deserved an answer from Tesco’s giant corporate arm, but a response was not forthcoming.

This has happened before.

However, it is one thing to not respond to a question about square footage, car parking numbers or delivery times for a supermarket that is yet to be built, but another when its not underpaid press officers decide not to deal with a question that is having a detrimental affect on people’s lives, ruining their summer and probably stopping them from enjoying the garden because of the noise.

When it refused to tell the law-abiding, taxpaying citizens of Inkerman Road what it intended to do about this intimidating and anti-social problem it showed its contempt for the people in this district.

In my opinion, it proved those campaigners, who it dubbed cynical, correct.

No doubt one of the aforementioned PR team will find the time to write a jargon-riddled letter for a faceless executive to sign in response to this column, but the damage has been done.

We were told that the properties Tesco owns would be repaired, brought up to scratch and let out until a decision is finally reached.

St Albans District Council was also going to apply the necessary pressure to ensure this happened, but has gone ever-so-quiet on the issue.

In September last year we revealed that Tesco had told the council it wanted to rent some out before Christmas. Council leader Robert Donald also insisted that the authority would press ahead with an ‘Empty Dwelling Management Order’ which would see the council take control of the buildings. But ten months on and here we are again.

Back then Tesco said it needed planning permission to make improvements, Cllr Donald said it did not claiming the supermarket had looked into the cost and deemed it too expensive. So what is the council doing about it? Has an order being served? Tesco applied for planning permission to improve the buildings in April, but that is of little consolation or relevance to those living in this area or those in need of suitable accommodation.

Almost every week we are contacted by people who cannot get suitable council accommodation because of the lack of available homes in this district, yet over a dozen properties are sitting vacant on this site for no reason at all.

I have no doubt that we will receive a press release telling us that this area will soon be improved in the not-too-distant-future, but whatever happens now, it will be too late.

Tesco should also be aware that no amount of over-grown weeds, squatters, broken windows or crumbling buildings will ever be enough to persuade people living in the area that London Road could adequately handle the added traffic or that the land would not be better used housing a project that would benefit the community.

But while it still owns the land it can do what it likes, as long as the district council allows it to.