TEIGNBRIDGE Council could kick more than 1,700 households off the social housing waiting list.

On Tuesday, the councl's overview and scrutiny committee considered a report aimed at exploiting opportunites offered by the Localism Act.

It is possible that those who have 'false expectations' of social housing cold be dropped. Those who turn down three offers of accommodation might also be removed and the homeless might be passed to the private sector.

It emerged that in the various bands of eligibility in Teignbridge, only a handful of households in Band E – which takes considerable time to maintain – were ever eligible.