AN MP’s housing awards have been branded “absurd” and “pointless” with an estate agents picking up both the ‘best’ and worst’ gongs.

The MP for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy, has come under fire for crowning Central Estates with both prizes in her E17 Housing Awards.

Director of Central Estates, Richard Maher, said entering the awards “is never a waste of time” but it is “in effect a flawed system”.

Ms Creasy, who also crowned Central Estates as both ‘best’ and ‘worst’ letting agent, said the confusion shows how the company “divide opinion”.

Running in its third year, Ms Creasy started her awards to “highlight good and bad practice” after every day hearing “horror stories” about the housing market in the area.

She said: "Individually many tenants and homeowners tell me they feel individually powerless to complain for fear of reprisals.

“My office protects the identity of those who vote and verifies that only real Walthamstow residents participate to prevent any commercial interference in the outcome.”

With only Walthamstow residents able to vote, Mr Maher said he is losing a lot of potential supporters.

He added: “We do not act for the buyer, we act for the vendor and more than often the people selling their homes will not stay in Walthamstow.

“And then they can’t vote.”

Mr Maher feels also aggrieved as those voting could be basing their answers on outdated experiences with the company.

He said: “I feel people have got the wrong impression of our company which is not based on our standard today.

“If you support Arsenal football team are you going to base your opinion on them on their performance twenty years ago?”

Mr Maher is pictured putting his thumbs aloft in bemusement at the awards as Ms Creasy hands over four certificates.

Seeing the irony in the situation, Melanie Briggs, from Walthamstow, said: “Fair play to thumbs aloft, at least one person in the photo seems to recognise the absurdity and pointlessness of the situation.

“Shame it's not the one that represents us in Parliament.”