Property landlord glued hand to desk in council offices due to tenant who wasn't paying her rent

A disgruntled landlord superglued his hand to a desk at Thurrock Council’s civic offices in Grays, Essex. George Lovitt, 60, visited the council, in New Road, following a dispute with his tenant over rent. He hoped to receive some help from the council, but resorted to gluing his hand to a desk after failing to resolve his issue.

Mr Lovitt said: "Gluing my hand to the desk is a protest move. The council is refusing to help us. I’m unwell and am now living without heat because I’m not receiving my rent money. The tenant hasn’t paid my rent in months." The irritated landlord claims the council had been paying for his tenant’s rent for three years while the tenant had been out of work. However, he claims he has not received any rent for two months.



Mr Lovitt 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. I am a pensioner and do not need this. It’s just not on and my last resort was to superglue my hand." Emergency services were called to the council offices to deal with the incident and Mr Lovitt was separated from the desk within 20 minutes of firefighters arriving at the scene. Nail varnish remover was used to dissolve the glue from Mr Lovitt’s hand.

A spokesman for Thurrock Council said Mr Lovitt’s issue was a private matter between him and the tenant as it was not related to council housing. He said: "The gentleman concerned is a private landlord whose tenant was in arrears with rent. This should be a matter between the two of them. It is not a council housing issue. This was explained to the man. However, the council is meeting with the tenant to see if a way forward can be found. Actions such as those taken last week can cause serious health and legal problems and Thurrock Council would like to thank the Essex Fire and Rescue Service for its action securing the man’s release."