Live in factory 'guardian' wants money back (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Live in factory 'guardian' wants money back

A HOMELESS Evesham woman who took advantage of a scheme to stay at an unused Vale building is fighting to get her money back after discovering the state of the accommodation.

Jeanette Hardiman who is now staying with a friend, decided to make use of a scheme provided by security company Camelot Property Protection where she would act as one of their 'guardians' on the former Evesham Foods factory site.

This meant that she would live in the building and her duties would include looking after the property, keeping it in good condition for prospective buyers to look around and raising the alarm if any intruders visited the site.

But after handing over £50 and moving in, she soon found out that it was not as she thought it would be.

She said: "I saw an advert in the paper and I was desperate for somewhere to live so I just went for it.

"It sounded like a good idea at the time and I was told I would be getting a kitchen, shower and bed, but when I arrived, the place was a complete mess and there was a hole in one of the windows. I even saw some rats so I made it clear that I wasn't going to stop there."

But managing director of Camelot Property Protection John Mills said: "We have a very stringent interview process and a set of rules and procedures that we go through before we let anybody take up the role of a guardian.

"We offer responsible people the opportunity to take on an unusual role, in a safe environment and they get to stay somewhere for a very low cost.

"We only take on properties which are acceptable to us, though obviously some are better to live in than others as we take charge of buildings such as royal palaces as well as those on industrial estates.

"I believe we currently have three men living at the Evesham site, who are very happy there."