A man who was given a one-bed flat to live in with his brother after being evicted by the council branded his treatment “abysmal”.

Roy Smith and his brother David were evicted from their three-bedroom council house in Woolmer Road, Edmonton at the end of June, following the death of their father.

They moved out of their home of 40 years and were given emergency accommodation in the centre of Wood Green, in the neighbouring borough of Haringey.

But Mr Smith, whose brother has epilepsy and a learning disability, said the one-bedroom flat was “totally unsuitable” for two adult men to live in.

He said: “We have been in Enfield all our lives. This area is a bit of a shock to my brother. There are gangs on the corner at the end of the road – he is intimidated.”

Mr Smith added that they had to endure round-the-clock noise from the busy road outside the house.

He said: “The bus runs all night long. You get people coming out of the pub and going to work. It is just no good.”

Mr Smith described the council’s treatment of him and his brother as “pretty abysmal”.

He said: “Surely they can find a two-bed place somewhere? We just need a roof over our heads.”

Mr Smith’s cousin, Paul Mills, said his mother had contacted local councillors, who met with her but had not responded to her a month later.

He added that the money spent by the council on evicting his cousins could have been saved had they been treated humanely and allowed to remain in the three-bed home temporarily.

Under current UK housing law, councils are able to evict remaining tenants when the lead tenant dies and the house becomes ‘under-occupied’ – even if the remaining tenants have a statutory right of succession.

Homelessness law states that councils in England must try to prevent people becoming homeless.

But Enfield Council’s guidance warns people in need of emergency temporary accommodation that their property could be “in or near to London” due to a shortage of homes.

An Enfield Council spokesperson said: “We do not comment on individual cases, but we are happy to further discuss this matter with the family in question.”