Featured Image Credit: BBC
Topics: UK News, BBC, TV and Film
Claire Reid
A man claims his home was left ‘wrecked’ after it was given a renovation by BBC’s DIY SOS - and says he and his family are now moving out.
Peter Chapman and his family, from Cheltenham, appeared on the show back in February 2020, but he claims that the work carried out has caused numerous problems.
Chapman, 64, is a full-time carer for his wife Sarah, who uses a wheelchair, his unwell daughter Suzanne and his brother Steve, who has autism.
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Chapman says that the TV makeover wasn’t all it was cracked up to be onscreen and claims to have been left with a leaking roof and a wheelchair ramp that’s too steep, as well as other issues.
The BBC has said that all work carried out by presenter Nick Knowles and the team was ‘completed in accordance with the necessary required regulatory approvals and signed off onsite by building control’.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Chapman said: “DIY SOS has robbed me of the last three years and the stress is killing me.
“My wife Sarah and daughter Suzanne have not been able to use the outdoor facilities that were built by DIY SOS because it is now in a dangerous condition, which they were made aware of and they acknowledged over two years ago but nothing was done.”
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He told the publication that there had been several incidents at the property since the family appeared on the show, including a wall bar ‘coming away’ from the wall, which could have had disastrous consequences for Sarah or Suzanne.
Chapman says the family has since decided to sell up and move to the US where his son has lived for the past two decades.
He added: “We’re so fed up with it that we will eventually be moving. It’s a difficult decision but I feel so wronged at what they did to me."
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson told LADbible Group: “DIY SOS is a heartwarming programme that brings communities together and helps improve the lives of those in need thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who give up their time to participate. As with all of our previous projects, the Charlton Kings build was planned and completed in accordance with the necessary required regulatory approvals and signed off onsite by building control.”
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The BBC said it had offered solutions to Chapman, but that he had declined them; and that since appearing on the show it had been made aware that Chapman had made additional alterations, which it was not involved with.