Shilpa Shetty and husband Raj Kundra in their home at Weybridge, Surrey

London, May 28: Squatters have moved into an exclusive estate in Weybridge, Surrey, where Shilpa Shetty and husband Raj Kundra have their seven-bedroom home, but English law is such that the intruders can continue to live in luxury with full police protection.

A group of six squatters have sneaked in and taken up residence in one £3m (Rs 22cr) property known as Woodlawn Cottage, which boasts six en suite bedrooms, reception rooms filled with antique furniture, a tennis court, pool house, walled garden, folly and a pond.

So long as the locks are not broken or any damage caused during entry, it is not illegal for squatters to enter an abandoned property. They are not allowed to use any electricity or gas, though. Shilpa and Raj Kundra now spend little time in England — so, in theory, their home, valued at between £5m and £10m, is vulnerable too.

Stefan Cybulski, 30, from Woking, moved into Woodlawn Cottage with five other squatters at the end of April, and cooks on an outdoor barbecue, as there is no electricity.

“It is legal for me to be here,” he said brazenly but accurately. “I found the place on Google maps, so I came up to have a look and the place was open. The locks had been broken off. No one was living here, it was completely open, so why not?”

The former photography student, who wants to be an artist, said the police first visited the squatters 10 days ago and now check the property every other day to make sure nothing has been stolen. A security guard from the estate also remains a constant presence, parked next to the house.

People with money — footballers, TV presenters, actors and the like who make up today’s “celebrities” — choose to live in the St George’s Hill community in Weybridge because their large houses can only be reached by going through one electronically controlled gate.

In British parlance, such “hermetically sealed” estates are called “gated communities”.

This particular estate, which now has 420 houses and has been in existence for about 100 years, has been home in the past to Ringo Starr of The Beatles, the actress Kate Winslet and the musician Elton John. Among those who live on the estate now are the former Chelsea footballer Claude Makelele, the actress Hannah Gordon and Theo Paphitis, a businessman and panel member of the BBC show Dragons’ Den.

Breaking into empty homes is often undertaken by professional squatters who know how to work the system and remain just within the law.

In India, if squatters moved into a property, neighbours would probably go in and “encourage” them to leave in the time-honoured way. But under English law, a court order has to be sought before the squatters can be ejected forcibly, which has led to the expression “The law is an ass”.

The ownership of Woodlawn Cottage, which has been empty for six years, is now with receivers who are being urged by residents to take action to have the squatters removed.

“It does seem pretty extraordinary that the police can’t do anything to get these people off the estate,” was the view of one angry resident.

“They have no right to be here and we have been told to call the police if we have any concerns, yet the law appears to be on their side. It’s completely wrong.”

One blogger explained how squatters can walk into a home and pretend the locks were already broken.

Commenting on how the squatters got into Woodlawn Cottage, one blogger speculated: “I very much doubt it (the house) was open — the squatters probably went round the week before and broke the locks (or got someone else to). The next thing they do is anonymously notify someone (police/council) that the locks appeared to have been tampered with — so there’s a record. A week later they move into the “open” property, when actually they are breaking in and entering in stages. However, because it can’t be proven that they did the breaking, and there’s a record it was open, they can claim squatter rights.”

Cybulski, the squatters’ leader who is currently unemployed, said: “No one has taken anything while we have been here. I hope to stay as long as possible, before developers rip it down.”

He added: “We have tried to be as helpful as possible. The police have not been aggressive, they have been very cool.”

A spokesman for Surrey police said additional patrols had been established to keep an eye on the squatters but there had been no reports of violent behaviour.

“Police Elmbridge (Surrey) attended an address in St George’s Hill, Weybridge, on Thursday 19 May following reports of a number of people entering an unoccupied property,” a spokesman for the force confirmed to The Telegraph today.

He added: “Officers spoke with the people inside the property before notifying St George’s Hill security staff and the owners of the property, who are pursuing this as a civil matter. The Weybridge Safer Neighbourhood Team carries out regular high-visibility patrols in the area. Anyone with any issues or concerns should call Surrey police or call Crimestoppers (a tipping-off programme) in confidence.”