Exclusive

Devastated mother reveals how blundering council contractor got rid of everything she owned during work on her house

15 September 2023, 09:30 | Updated: 15 September 2023, 09:44

The house, before and after the bungled clearance, and Shania (L) and Keisha (R)
The house, before and after the bungled clearance, and Shania (L) and Keisha (R). Picture: LBC
Connor Hand

By Connor Hand

A mother-of-two has told LBC that her life has been “destroyed” after all of her possessions were mistakenly disposed of by a council contractor.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Keisha McCalla and her two children, Shania and Leren, now aged 14 and 5, lost thousands of pounds’ worth of clothing, furniture, toys and electronics, as well as irreplaceable family scrapbooks, packed with photos of her young children, following a mistake by the removal company.

Welwyn and Hatfield Council were first contacted by Ms McCalla after she discovered that the walls of her property were crumbling, with the council’s contractor, Mears, then arranging for remedial work to take place in July 2022.

Council contractor gets rid of mother's possessions

In the meantime, Keisha agreed to move out of the property whilst work was carried out, as both her and her daughter suffer from asthma.

Read more: Ulez is a 'greedy money grab' targeting outer Londoners, policing minister says - but condemns 'spy van' attacks

Read more: Sunak casts doubt on key pledge to cut NHS waiting lists as he continues to blame striking junior doctors

Keisha (r) moved out of the flat while the work was carried out, and lost thousands of pounds of belongings
Keisha (r) moved out of the flat while the work was carried out, and lost thousands of pounds of belongings. Picture: LBC

Upon returning home, however, a subcontractor broke the news to Keisha that instead of rubbish being removed from the property, her possessions had been cleared out, leaving her house totally empty.

“I arrived home and saw the subcontractor was upset, so I asked what the matter was. He responded: ‘I don’t know how to tell you this, Keisha, but instead of them removing the rubbish, they’ve removed everything inside your house’. For a split second I thought he must be joking but on entering it was true.”

A bedroom in the house before the renovation work
A bedroom in the house before the renovation work. Picture: LBC

“At that instance it felt as though my whole life had been taken. My daughter was inconsolable… I was utterly distressed but had to try to appear okay for my babies.”

Despite attempting to retrieve them, the only items that could be saved was a now-broken television, one trainer, a football boot, an ankle boot and Tupperware containers, a long decorative pillow and a single quilt – none of which could be used again.

More than a year down the line, Keisha and her family are yet to receive compensation.

All of their belongings were piled up and then later disposed of
All of their belongings were piled up and then later disposed of. Picture: LBC

Aside from the financial impact, the emotional scars have left Keisha and her family unable to return to their council home. Instead, they have divided their time between living with her mother and even, at points, resorting to staying in the back of her car.

Elaborating on the emotional challenges her children are facing, 31-year-old Keisha told LBC: “My daughter, Shania, is constantly upset and has also had to see her doctor. At 14, she now sleeps with me on the floor because she doesn’t want to be alone, and is far more withdrawn and agitated.

“My son’s behaviour has definitely changed beyond belief. He is lashing out, anxious, crying, not sleeping and having nightmares. He’s constantly asking whether the ‘bad men are coming’, the ones that took all of his things.

“We are unable to live in the place which was going to be our new home.”

On her own struggles, she added: “This has destroyed my life. I have been off work since July and have had to seek counselling and medication (the anti-depressant, Citalopram).

“I am suffering from severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression… I constantly feel down as nearly everything I have ever had in my thirty years has gone.”

Keisha also believes that the council have also been “blasé” about her situation, saying she was “absolutely infuriated and appalled with how the council and Mears have dealt with this. They have shown incompetence throughout, not logging the correct information on the system, sending me emails that were intended for human resources, being deceitful, and lacking empathy towards us as a family.

In response to Keisha’s citation, a spokesperson for Welwyn and Hatfield said “The contractor involved has accepted responsibility for this incident.

“We did everything that we could to support Ms McCalla following the incident, including putting Ms McCalla in touch with the people handling her case at the contractors.

“While it would not be appropriate for us to comment further on an ongoing legal matter, we do hope that a satisfactory resolution can be found to this case as soon as possible.”

The council’s contractor, Mears, also responded to LBC’s request for a statement, saying they were “aware of Ms McCalla’s claim relating to the removal of items from her property by a subcontractor. Our claims handlers are in direct contact with Ms McCalla to try and resolve her complaint as swiftly as possible.”

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Claire Boyd underwent surgery in a bid to address a long history of abdominal pain

Family walks out of inquest after coroner rejects malnutrition in hospital death

Inquests into the deaths of the women, who were both born in Pakistan but lived in Maltsby, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, were opened on Wednesday.

Sisters drown in pools on popular Snowdonia route, inquest told

A police cordon blocking the inside lane of the northbound carriageway on the M1 motorway near Bucknalls Lane overpass in Hertfordshire, where a man's body was found by road workers on Monday.

Horror crash sees M1 closed 'in both directions' with emergency services including air ambulance in attendance

Bruce Springsteen performs on stage

First look at upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White divides fans

Liz Kendall, Work and Pensions Secretary and Labour MP for Leicester West spoke to LBC's Tom Swarbrick.

Liz Kendall unable to say how much the changes in the Welfare Bill announced today will end up costing

Exclusive
Brexit has unleashed ‘backstreet medicine’ across Britain, warns leading pharmacist

Brexit has unleashed ‘backstreet medicine’ across Britain, warns leading pharmacist

The record breaking ticket was bought in Munster. It is still unclaimed

'Have a cup of tea and let it sink in': Lottery bosses message to record Euromillions winner as prize yet unclaimed

Exclusive
Joe and his friends found the fraudulent listing on RightMove and OpenRent.

‘We lost £5,000 in a rental fraud scam and now we’re facing homelessness’

Ruth Jones and husband David Peet split up after 26 years. he is now in a new relationship in Canada

Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones splits from husband after 26 years

Iran's supreme leader has hit back at Trump.

'Nobody knows what I'm gonna do': Trump's cryptic message as Iran brands claims of Washington talks 'despicable lies'

The Adalynn and Front Eagle tankers collided and caught on fire on Tuesday close to the Strait of Hormuz.

Navigational mistake led to oil tanker collision near Strait of Hormuz, says UAE official

Marine experts are set to bring the stricken Bayesian to the surface

Tech tycoon Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht to be raised from the seabed this weekend

Police officers stand next to a restaurant as people protest against overtourism in the Balearic island of Mallorca

Spain: Brits warned of tough rules for holidaying this summer

The Home Office UK Visas & Immigration Office at Lunar House in Croydon, London, UK.

Home Office tells children, aged 11 and eight, they must return to Brazil without parents or face being 'detained'

Yvonne Ford, 59, from Barnsley.

Pictured: Brit grandmother who died from rabies after being scratched by puppy as family issues stark warning

The 35-year-old received the news after earning his biggest win in two years, which also helped him reclaim a spot in the world's top 200 rankings

Dan Evans handed Wimbledon wildcard after stunning win over world No.13 Frances Tiafoe