Hundreds of homes owned by Barking and Dagenham Council's property company could have been allocated to organised criminal gangs, an investigation has revealed.
An investigation by the City of London Police has found that housing owned by B&D Reside could have been fraudulently allocated to gangs.
Labour councillor Rocky Gill told the BBC the investigation could reveal ‘mass-scale organised fraud’, such as the use of properties for cannabis farms.
Detective Inspector Adam Maskell from the Domestic Corruption Unit (DCU) of the City of London Police confirmed the investigation was ‘ongoing’ and was focused on identifying the key players involved.
‘We continue to work closely with partners in local government to progress the investigation, which relates to matters that have a significant impact on public services and local communities,’ he added.
The council has been contacted for comment.
