Couple forced to sleep in shed after thieves stole their security gate

A couple from Gravesend in Kent are sleeping in their shed to protect their property after thieves stole their gate. Paul Sargeant, 44, and Marina Wilks, 37, are bedding down outside their home to keep an eye on valuables left exposed after the 9ft wooden gate was removed from their home close to the town centre.



The pair revealed they may not return to their beds for up to a month after their landlord told them the gate will not be replaced until September. Paul said: “We have a few high-value objects and we don’t want them to go missing. I shall be sleeping outside until the gates are put up. I don’t like sleeping much anyway but there’s no way I’m leaving that stuff open to be nicked.



“Before I met Marina I was homeless for six months so I know what it’s like to sleep in the rain and the snow.” However, Miss Wilks admitted the new rough arrangements were proving unpleasant. She said: “It’s a bit uncomfortable but it’s safer if there are two of us instead of just him. We are both unbelievably tired.


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“I’m on edge every time he leaves the home and ask him when he is getting back. I don’t feel safe here at the moment. We have had issues with people going round with eggs and starting fires.” They returned home last Thursday to find the gate removed, even though it was padlocked. In addition to sleeping in their shed the couple have also put up a makeshift barricade and set up a tripwire.