Landlords could be be fined thousands of pounds after the council introduced tough new measures.

Hertsmere Borough Council could issue fines of up to £30,000 to landlords who put their tenants at risk.

Civil penalty notices, ranging from £250 to £30,000 can be issued by the council's housing enforcement team to anyone who is found to have breached regulations.

These regulations include licensing offences, overcrowding, and failing to comply with an improvement notice.

The new powers were approved at a full council meeting on Wednesday night.

Cllr Jean Heywood, who is responsible for housing, said: "While the vast majority of landlords in Hertsmere are law-abiding and want to do their best by their tenants, we do regularly come across a small minority who are failing in their responsibilities.

"Up until now, officers only have recourse to the courts if they wish to take action, which can take months of investigation, thousands of pounds of public money and a vast amount of paperwork.

"These new measures will enable us to protect tenants from potential harm and ensure their welfare, while acting as a serious deterrent to any landlord considering straying from the law."

Councils in the UK were granted powers to issue civil penalty notices in 2016.

Money recovered from fines will be used for further enforcement and statutory work by the council.