Ealing Council is forking out £12,500 per month in rent alone for an Afghan family in Acton. This is twice the market rate in Acton.

On top of that Ms Saindi also gets an estimated £400 a week in child and local tax benefits.

When Ms Toorpakai Saindi, who has three sons and four daughters, approached the council after being made homeless in July, it had a legal obligation to find her a seven-bedroom home.

This is far more than normal hard working citizens can afford or expect to live in, let alone expect the state provide it for scroungers.

The Local Housing Allowance, introduced across England in April, enables landlords to find out the maximum amount of rent they obtain.

The Rent Service – an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions – which advises councils came up with a figure of £12,500 a month. Similar properties in Acton are available for about £6,000 a month.

Landlord Ajit Panesar acted within his right as the rate was set by the Rent Service.

Ealing Council was more than happy to oblige, as one of their 3 immediate priorities is cost effective services and offering "Value for Money".

They blamed the Government, saying it set the rates for the property.

However, Whitehall officials insisted the council could have put the family in a cheaper home.

If the story in London Lite is correct then Jaawad, Ms Saindi’s 20 year old son, seems somewhat deluded. On the one hand he says his mum is not happy about cleaning such a big house.

On the other he says "It was great in Afghanistan, every house over there is enormous - this place would be as big as something we would give chickens but we are just grateful for what we can get."

If accurately reported then the polite response of most of the country, not just hard working tax paying citizens, would be along the lines of "he and his family are more than welcome to go back to their chicken shed, if the chickens will have then back."