Council dumps man’s belongings

David Stoner was evicted from his home in Ealand Road, Batley, in July this year as he could no longer afford to pay rent on the two-bedroom council house because of the bedroom tax.

Mr Stoner, 42, who suffers from extensive nerve damage in his shoulder and neck, then moved into a bed-sit in Woodville Road, Dewsbury.

But when the council delivered Mr Stoner’s belongings to his new home he was shocked to find most of them missing.

He said: “I was fuming. The lads who came round could tell I was not happy. They only delivered my hi-fi, fridge, cooker and seven boxes of small items.

“I could not believe it when they said that was all they had. I called the council right away but they were not having any of it.”

Mr Stoner said he was missing his sofa, washer, drier and several kitchen appliances. He estimated he paid more than £2,000 for the missing items. “These are basic things I need to live,” Mr Stoner said. “To kick me out and then not give me my stuff. I just could not believe it.”

A council spokesman said: “We are sorry to say that we made a mistake when Mr Stoner’s property was emptied following his eviction for non-payment of rent. Instead of everything being put into storage, some of the goods were passed on to a household recycling scheme, as the team thought they were dealing with a normal end of tenancy rather than an eviction.

“We have apologised to Mr Stoner and will see that the missing items are replaced.”