Woman returns from shops to find her whole patio has been removed

A woman returned home from a trip to the shops only to discover her entire patio had been removed. 

Laurie Penny, from London, nipped out to the shops for a few hours and came home to find all of her patio tiles taken up and her furniture stacked up to one side. 

In a tweet, Laurie wrote: “Dear @IslingtonBC- this is awkward, but yesterday, I had a patio that I quite liked. This morning I popped out to the shops for a couple of hours, and now it’s- …well, um, it’s gone.

“I know you’re busy, but could you tell me who took my patio, and perhaps also why?”

In response to a follower asking whether the patio could have been stolen, Laurie noted: “Thieves don’t generally tidy up afterwards. Or stack the furniture so neatly.” Which is a fair point, and turned out to be correct because the ‘patio heist’ – as Laurie dubbed it – wasn’t the work of thieves, it turned out to be a bit of a mix-up with the council. 

Laurie was told by the council that the patio had been removed so a leak could be repaired at the property – ideally, Laurie would have been informed of the decision prior to it happening but for some reason that wasn’t the case. 

A spokesperson said: "Islington Council is committed to ensuring that everyone in the borough has a place to live that is safe, secure, and comfortable.

"Due to a serious leak at this resident’s property, it’s been necessary to remove patio tiles at the property and renew the waterproof membrane.

"The resident should have been contacted by the contractor in advance of the work taking place but, regrettably, this did not happen.

"The council has reached out to the resident to apologise, to discuss any concerns, and to reassure her that the patio will be fully reinstated."

Thankfully, Laurie managed to see the funny side of the mix-up, telling MyLondon: "It was a hilarious mess up, but it has a happy ending.

"By next week I should have a new patio!"

In an update yesterday, 3 September, Laurie confirmed that ‘some’ of her patio has now been returned, adding: “Also, moved the scaffolding to next door! This is good news, as my neighbours and I had been trying to find out who put up that scaffolding and why for months.

“It is also bad news because now I have to get an actual washing line.”