A building erected illegally has been demolished following a 30-year planning dispute.

Residents in Dale View Avenue, Chingford, have been battling against neighbour, Brain Gage, since the 80s over various buildings they claim he built on land protected by a covenant.

Mr Gage, 57, admitted flouting planning laws in a court case last year after he illegally turned a set of garages into a dwelling for his daughter, and then ignored an order in 2009 to convert them back.

The building continued to stand until yesterday when council bulldozers moved in to tear it down because it "breached planning permission".

The secretary of Dale View Resident’s Association (DVRA), Gordon Wilkinson, 81, claims Mr Gage was given an order in August to knock the building down and the demolition yesterday is as a result of Mr Gage’s in-action.

Members of DVRA say they have spent nearly £10,000 on legal fees contesting buildings on the site.

Mr Gage was fined £500 and £1,000 costs in November 2012 for ignoring the council’s enforcement notice to knock the building down.