Beiruting News

Twenty-five luxury villas have been 'illegally' built by developers on the roof of a Chinese shopping mall.

The houses, covering an area about the size of three football pitches, were erected in 2009 on the roof of the multi-storey mall in Hengyang, the China Daily reported today.

The unusual designs feature bright blue roofs and pastel yellow walls and have wraparound verandas.

The picturesque homes are divided by white picket fences, while trees and bushes grow in their courtyards and along the pathways between them.

The houses were built without a licence, the report said, and although the city government repeatedly demanded their demolition, developer Hengyang Wings Group ignored the order.