PRIVATE renters are up to 50 per cent more likely to be evicted in areas where a Waitrose has recently opened, according to an Oxford University study.

Research conducted by David Adler, a graduate studying the British housing crisis, was commissioned by lobbying group Generation Rent.

It revealed that the arrival of a new Waitrose was associated with an increase in the number of evictions of between 25 and 50 per cent.

A blog spot by Generation Rent described it as 'The Other Waitrose Effect' with the original Waitrose Effect saw the upmarket supermarket add a premium to house prices nearby.

It said: " The arrival of a Waitrose branch is both a reaction to signs that an area is becoming wealthier, and a magnet for further investment by local businesses and demand by wealthy homebuyers."

On the growing eviction trends, it added: "Waitrose is both attracted to areas where these eviction trends are underway, and a cause for their intensification."

The group warned it was too easy for landlords to evict tenants who now faced an increased threat of losing their homes.

The research found that during the 2008-09 recession, evictions dipped as house prices fell and landlords lost confidence. 

After house prices started to recover in 2010, evictions picked up again, but increased significantly more in the 92 local council areas which acquired a Waitrose.

By 2015, areas with a Waitrose had nearly twice as many Section 21 evictions, on average, as areas without one.

The Botley Road Waitrose opened in October 2015.