Unpaid Builder Unbuilds

Anita Dovey who had ideas above her station asked for permission from the West Sussex council to make improvements to her rented council house.

She employed builder Nigel Gray,44, to build a porch and conservatory, worth £15,000.

"We just kept on getting a string of excuses and bounced cheques and no payment was made ." said Mr Gray

So he used a sledgehammer to break up the porch from Anita Dovey's home, removed the conservatory one window at a time and removed the French doors.

"I'm absolutely gutted to have had to do this because it was such fantastic handiwork but I could not just let this go,"

"It has been very stressful on my partner and family who have also had to deal with it all."

He estimated that the building work, legal fees, bank charges and lost work cost him about £22,000.

A spokesman for Adur District Council said: "Council tenants are allowed to make improvements to their home.
Unfortunately in this case this private agreement has gone wrong. "

"Mrs Dovey will be billed the cost of putting the property back to its original state lets hope she pays this time."

Mrs Dovey declined to comment but we suggest that her next builder asks to be paid up front.