Necessity may be the mother of invention and all that, but one UK couple seem to have taken it to an extreme when they converted a garage into a hidden home.

The plot came a cropper this week, however when the couple, who have been under investigation by Blaby council in Leicestershire since October 2015, were ordered to pay more than £2,000.

Dr Reeta Herzallah (37) and Hamdi Almasri (39) converted an old detached garage in Enderby to a tiny house and then attempted to conceal it behind a fake garage door and a fence to the rear.

The couple also created an unauthorised vehicle access onto a dual-carriageway. In addition to the fine they were ordered to restore the garage to its former use.