Work has begun on the first council houses to be built in Redbridge for 30 years,

A ceremony to mark the start of the development in Manford Way, Hainault, was attended by cabinet member for housing, Muhammed Javed, on Monday.

A three-bedroom house, a three-bedroom flat and seven two-bedroom flats will be built on the site by the end of March next year.

People on the council’s housing waiting list must wait for an average of nearly seven years for a home, with a family needing a four-bedroom house waiting nearly ten years.

The number of properties rented out by the council fell dramatically over the last year and in July this year there 7,325 households on the waiting list.

The scheme was part-funded by the Greater London Authority.