A PENSIONER has told how heartless housing officers ordered him to leave his home of 27 years after his partner left him.

Retired construction worker William Downes said he faced eviction from his three-bedroom council house in The Storrs Way, Bartley Green, because it was under occupied when he became single.

The 67-year-old said he received a shock letter from Birmingham City Council informing him of its decision after his long-term partner left him in ‘acrimonious circumstances’.

The disraught pensioner contacted the Birmingham Mail to ask for help.

Mr Downes said: “This is my home. I have invested thousands in it over the years, the garden is my pride and joy and has cost me a fortune.

“I only recently paid £180 for a digital aerial to be fitted. Then they were asking me to leave and wanted me to move into another property. I was worried I would have to move into a small flat where I wouldn’t be able to have my cats.

“I love my cats, they’ve been with me for years.”

But following a call from the Mail, housing officers have lifted the threat of eviction to Mr Downes.