THE owners of a posh Archway house taken over by squatters have failed to gain backing from a court to reclaim the property.

The squatters could now be in the �1million property in Gladsmuir Road for another two weeks despite a hearing at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court on Thursday (Feb 17).

Owners John and Rebecca Hamilton-Brown unsuccessfully applied for an ‘interim possession order’ because they forgot to include title deeds in their application.

Instead the couple were granted a possession order by District Judge Millard which means they can now apply for bailiffs to remove the squatters - but this could take a fortnight.

Mr Hamilton-Brown said: “It is disappointing we did not gain the order because of a single piece of paper. It was also frustrating that the squatters had free legal representation.”

The couple, who have two young daughters, had been refurbishing their “dream family home” when the squatters allegedly broke into the empty house at the beginning of February.

“They have been having late night parties and disturbing the neighbours,” said Mr Hamilton-Brown. “The police have been called on a couple of occasions. They have been a nuisance but nothing major. They are a group of French nationals in their early 20s who were scared when they attended court. We came to a verbal agreement that they would leave by next Thursday (March 3) but we wait to see if this happens. I just find it wrong that squatters can break into a house and put a sign up saying ‘we live here’. It is a joke.”

A gang of 30 people, mostly from Eastern Europe, caused controversy when they spent 18 days in January living at a multi-million pound pad in Broadlands Road, Highgate.

Bailiffs evicted them and it is believed members of the same group are now in Gladsmuir Road. The neighbouring street of Whitehall Park has celebrity residents Bill Paterson and Juliet Stephenson, while Patsy Kensit and Boyzone singer Stephen Gately used to live there.