Furious woman superglued her hands to council office desk in housing row

A furious woman superglued herself to a council office desk over a housing row. Sharon Powers was stuck for 90 minutes and had to be freed by paramedics. She said she whipped out the Superglue as a “last resort” during a row at Erdington Customer Service Centre in Birmingham. “I was desperate to sort things out and I said I would glue myself to the desk if I didn’t get anywhere,” the 45-year-old said. “I had some glue at home so I popped it in my bag before I went to the office.

“The staff said they couldn’t do anything – so I glued my hands to the desk. I was crying and very upset. Staff called a manager and Googled how to unstick me – they found they would need acetone, butter or warm soapy water. But the ambulance service arrived and unstuck me.” Sharon was treated at the scene but did not need hospital treatment. She has been locked in a long wrangle with the authority over her parents’ housing problem.



Her mum and dad, pensioners John and Jean Attwood, lost their home when he retired as caretaker at Kingstanding’s Hawthorn Primary School after 30 years. They have spent the last six weeks moving from house to house staying with various relatives. Sharon claimed the authority had repeatedly botched the couple’s bids to move into a three-bedroom house – and had now told them they only qualified for a flat or maisonette. Sharon’s sister-in-law, who joined her at the council’s Sutton New Road offices on Tuesday, added: “She was at her wits end. First John and Jean were told they could have a house, then told they couldn’t.

“The housing department had a year to prepare for this, but instead let them go homeless these last five or six weeks. It is a really shabby way to treat someone who worked for the council and just wants a peaceful retirement.” A council spokesman said: “Mr Attwood contacted us in 2011, when he made a housing application, but since he couldn’t give us a date when he would need accommodation, we could not process his application. He contacted us again in February this year and the family has been assessed as a priority homeless case. They have been bidding for properties but have been unable to find a suitable property in their desired area. We will contact the family again now and re-assess their situation.”