Builder destroys £475,000 home after ‘owner refused to pay £3,500 bill’

The owner was on holiday at the time

A builder has demolished his own work on a house after a dispute over the work on the property led the owner to refuse to pay him. The Metro reports that the owner of the property, which is located in Stoneygate, Leicester and was on a street where properties go for around £500,000, said that he had refused to pay the builder £3,500 for the work he had done because he was so unhappy with the work. The 40-year-old owner said: "I had gone on holiday and was 200 miles [away] when it all happened on Tuesday.

"I've contacted the police, who said it was a dispute and not a criminal case, and I’ve emailed Trading Standards. I'm still on holiday so it’s difficult to sort out from here.

"I bought the house last year. The builder started in February and we wanted lots of work done so it could become our family home for six of us.

"We wanted a two-storey extension, a new roof, new wiring and for it to be more environmentally-friendly. Unfortunately I picked the worst builder."

He said that after refusing to pay the builder, he left the building in its current state, before the scaffolding was retrieved by the scaffolding company. According to a neighbour the pavement outside the property has now been ruined, with the street left in a mess. They said: "The work had been going on and there was scaffolding up and it all had planning permission.

"Then people noticed the builders starting to remove things and demolish the work that had been done.

"The neighbours are really upset with how it looks and the fact it has also ruined the pavement

The owner has said that he will contact Leicester City Council about the pavement when he returns to Leicester.