A builder left £22,000 out of pocket by a customer who didn't pay up has taken revenge - by demolishing his own handiwork.
After months of trying to extract his fee, dozens of second chances and the threat of legal action, building boss Nigel Gray decided a dose of summary justice was needed.
Yesterday, he took an 18lb sledgehammer to the porch he had painstakingly built for customer Anita Dovey.
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Builder Nigel Gray: ' I'd rather this than let her enjoy the fruits of my unpaid labour'
Now council officers - who backed Mr Gray's radical course of action - say SHE will have to pay a demolition fee.
Mr Gray, who runs his own firm, said: "It gave me a great deal of satisfaction to watch the porch and conservatory come crumbling down - but it was also galling to see my own work destroyed.
"Mine is a little company, and I've had to deal with a £22,000 deficit at one of the worst times of the year. I've taken a massive hit. Meanwhile, she's been lounging around in my conservatory, loving it.
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It's going: One of Nigel Gray's builders knocks down a non-paying customer's porch
It's going: He methodically hammers away at the structure taking down its two supporting walls
"It looked absolutely stunning, if I do say so myself. To see it on the floor like a bomb had gone off was upsetting. But I'd rather that than let her enjoy the fruits of my unpaid labour."
Mrs Dovey - who was at home watching TV while the demolition was being executed - refused to comment.
She asked Mr Gray to install a large conservatory at the rear of her council house in Shoreham, West Sussex, in December.
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It's going: Within minutes starting the job, the little porch's roof falls to the ground
It's gone: The builder completes his work by hammering off the final few bricks
During construction, she asked him to add a porch to the front.
However, once the work was finished, payment was not forthcoming, and Mrs Dovey used a range of excuses to explain herself - even telling Mr Gray her husband had died, which turned out to be untrue.
Refusal to pay: Anita Dovey
Many phone calls later, Mr Gray finally received a cheque for the full amount - which promptly bounced. Mrs Dovey made no further attempts to pay.
Mr Gray, who has a wife and four children, said: "I've lost a hell of a lot of money out of this woman. I'm on my own. There's no help out there for people like me.
"If she had picked a multi-national company, they might have been able to write off a debt like that, but not me.
"In fairness to the council, they gave me their full backing to tear down their work - and even told me to leave the rubble on her doorstep!"
A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said: "Council tenants are allowed to make improvements to their homes. Unfortunately in this case, the private agreement has gone wrong.
"Mrs Dovey will be billed the cost of returning the property to its original state." On internet rating site Check-a-Trade, Mr Gray's firm has an overall rating of 9.6 out of 10, with 9.8 for courtesy and 9.9 for value for money.
Pictured: Builder demolishes own £22,000 handiwork after customer fails to pay bill | the Daily Mail
Builder demolishes own £22,000 handiwork after customer fails to pay bill
This is AWESOME!!!
Dara
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