I opened the door to my late mum’s home to find council workers ripping out her new £1,000 kitchen… even though I was paying her RENT

• Craig McGough found council workers ripping up kitchen at late mother’s home

A grieving son was left fuming after he opened to the door to his late mother’s home to find council workers redoing the kitchen despite her estate still having an active tenancy.

Craig McGough, 39, hit out at Sandwell Council for the ‘uncompassionate’ way in which they entered the property without permission as he about to sort through her belongings.

He told MailOnline that he reported the council to the police for trespass and criminal damage, which is still under investigation.

Mr McGough, from Sandwell, West Bromwich, lost his mother Joyce Timmins, 64, on July 22 after she suffered a stroke and died of sepsis in hospital.

He said informed the council about her death in hopes of ending the tenancy at the property, but they told him that he could not do that as he was not the right legal representative, telling him they had to serve notice with a Section 21 order.

Grieving son Craig McGough (left), 39, was left fuming after he opened to the door to his late mother Joyce Timmins’ (right), 64, home to find council workers redoing the kitchen despite her estate still having an active tenancy

Mr McGough arrived at his late mother’s home to find building debris outside as construction workers refitted a kitchen, without his knowledge

When Craig McGough arrived at the property on October 4, he was shocked to find contractors ripping out the new £1,000 kitchen his late mother had recently put in

The new kitchen was ripped out by council contractors without Mr McGough’s permission

But when he arrived at the property on October 4, Mr McGough was shocked to find contractors ripping out the new £1,000 kitchen his late mother had recently put in

The notice, received around two months after her death, said Miss Timmins still had to pay rent until the the end of the tenancy.

But when he arrived at the property on October 4, he was shocked to find contractors ripping out the new £1,000 kitchen his late mother had recently put in.

Mr McGough said: ‘My mum had just spent over £1,000 on a new kitchen and new worktops and I was going to replace that with the old kitchen cupboards but by the time we got there they’d ripped it up.

‘I was angry and asked them to leave and they did with immediate effect after I called council office,’ Mr McGough told MailOnline.

‘But the next day they were there again.’

Sandwell Council met with Mr McGough earlier this week where he demanded a ‘full letter of apology from the person responsible and compensation for the stress when I was grieving for my mother’.

Mr McGough (right) pictured with his mother Joyce standing behind him on his wedding day

The bags Sandwell Council contractors used to dispose of the new kitchen cabinets his mother had put in the council home she rented

The eviction notice given by Sandwell Council upon the death of Joyce Timmins

He said: ‘The only thing i wanted to do after the funeral was hand keys back and hand tenancy over but they wouldn’t accept me ending the tenancy.

‘And when they did it they did in the worst way possible. It was the most uncompassionate way they could end a tenancy and the way they communicated was appalling.’

West Midlands Police has been approached for comment.

A Sandwell Council spokesperson said: ‘We are sorry for any distress or upset that was caused unintentionally to the family.

‘We had been given notification that the property had been cleared and occupation relinquished so were trying to make it available as soon as possible for a new resident in need of social housing.

‘However, when we were made aware that the property had not been totally vacated we immediately stopped all work.

‘We are currently reviewing Mr McGough’s request for compensation.’

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