There has apparently been a boom in property development in the occupied area of Cyprus since the Greek Cypriot rejection of the Annan plan.

Given that over 92 percent of this property is Greek Cypriot, Church or Republic of Cyprus government owned it can be safely assumed that very little of this development has been carried out with the wishes of the legitimate owners. Not only has their property been stolen but their legal rights continue to be disregarded by those who should know, and do know, better.

It is no coincidence that this boom followed soon after the UK Government talked of "punishing" Greek Cypriots for daring to stand up for their legal rights. It has turned a blind eye to the advertising for sale by estate agents and property developers of our properties all over London, whether in newspapers, in shop windows or at exhibitions. Lobby has, as usual, led the community campaign to stop this; we attended two exhibitions at Alexandra Palace and in Docklands where Greek Cypriot properties were flagrantly being offered for sale. We were successful in disrupting the sale of these properties and preventing some estate agents from exhibiting the properties. But this is only the beginning. There is much more to do.

What can be done? To begin with we should all complain to the relevant Local Authority Trading Standards Department each time we see adverts for sale of property in the occupied area. Trading Standards are duty bound to investigate all complaints by consumers about misleading trading practices in their borough. They don’t just deal with sales of dodgy second hand cars, they also can force estate agents not to withhold important information about the property they are trying to sell. No estate agents willingly reveal that the property they are selling belongs to Greek Cypriots nor that the buyer may lose it or have to pay compensation. We should therefore complain to Trading Standards whenever we have examples of this happening. Lobby has details of how to contact all Trading Standards departments in the UK. We have seen estate agents adverts all over north London. So the numbers below should be useful.

Barnet TS 020 8359 2606
Camden TS 020 7974 6925
Enfield TS 020 8379 8515
Haringey TS 020 8489 5134

Please don’t wait for someone else to ring them. If you see something that you believe to be misleading ring Trading Standards yourself. The more that ring to complain the better. And remember the department you ring is the one where the estate agent is based not where you are.

You could also bring any such adverts to the attention of the UK National Association of Estate Agents. I am sure they would be very pleased to hear from anyone who feels that their members are trying to sell stolen property.

Finally spare a thought for the Orams! This unfortunate British couple from Hove, near Brighton face the loss of their "dream home" in Lapithos after the Greek Cypriot owner took them to court in the Republic of Cyprus for trespass. They had built their dream home on his land. The Court ordered that they demolish their "dream home," that they return the plot of land to the rightful owner and that they pay £10,000. If they don’t do this then legal action will be taken against their property in the UK and this could mean the loss of any properties they have here.

Mrs Oram said "many of the British who have properties in the north are now very worried as to what will happen to them. Some of them have sold up completely in England and went to live in north Cyprus permanently!" What a shame!

The message is clear. Property sales in the occupied area = theft. Please help us to do something about it.

Speak to Trading Standards and the National Association of Estate Agents, tell them about the Loizidou case and the plight of the Orams. Better still remind them that there will be no solution of property issues in Cyprus until the 3Rs are implemented.

Let’s do something positive.