Granny 'jails' too-slow builders By ROBIN PERRIE December 23, 2006
A BATTLING gran took four workmen HOSTAGE to ensure her new kitchen is finished by Christmas.
Josie Medlock, 59, locked in two contract workers, a project manager and a supervisor.
And she refused to let them out until they agreed to finish modernisation work at her council flat by this weekend. Police armed with a battering ram raced to the scene. But the great-gran remained defiant and said from inside her home: ?I?m not going to hurt them. I?m just making a point.
?They will be released eventually. They can?t stay for Christmas because I can?t afford it ? I?ve got 16 coming already.? The two-hour siege ended when council bosses and contractors Connaught agreed to step up the work.
Josie said later: ?The workmen have had me up nearly every day at 6am for them to start at 8am ? and then one day they didn?t turn up. I couldn?t take any more. My cooker had to be fixed to cook the Christmas dinner. I?ve made my point.?
Widow Josie from East Dene, South Yorks, said she flipped after suffering four weeks of upheaval under Rotherham Council?s ?decent homes? modernisation scheme.
Yesterday her cooker was finally working ? but the builders must return AFTER Christmas to finish the work. A council housing spokesman claimed Josie had been confused over how many days the workmen would be at her house.
He added: ?We are working together to address Mrs Medlock?s issues. But tenants who take this sort of unacceptable action risk not having work completed on their homes.?