A private landlord staged a bizarre protest after being in dispute with his tenant - he superglued his hand to a desk in a council office.
George Lovitt superglued his hand to a desk at Thurrock Council's civic offices in Grays, having complained that he was unwell and living without heat because he had not received rent from his tenant.
However, a council spokesperson says the dispute is nothing to do with the authority because the landlord, tenant and property concerned are all in the private sector.
Lovitt claims the tenant is a benefit recipient, so therefore the council has a duty of care to him as a landlord. He told a local newspaper: "The tenant hasn't paid my rent in months. But she says she is not working and that the council should still be paying her rent."
He added: "She owes me more than £900. I think the council stopped paying her rent once she found a job and now it's up to her to pay.
The local authority says that although it has no responsibility for any part of the dispute, it is willing to talk with the tenant in a bid to find a resolution.
The local fire brigade had to be called to free Lovitt from the desk.
Comments
Very bizarre. Sounds like something out of a badly written comedy!