Captain Tom neighbours' heartbreak as his legacy is 'lost' over spa demolition

31 January 2024 , 21:14

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Work continues on the unauthorised spa pool (Image: PA)

Captain Tom's neighbours have called out his daughter for destroying his "legacy" after her £200,000 spa was demolished.

Hannah Ingram-Moore had the flashy spa built next to her lavish £1.2million home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, but it's now due to be torn down on February 7. A tarpaulin has been erected around the complex as workers remove belongings from inside.

Hannah is the daughter of Captain Tom - who raised close to £40million during the Covid pandemic for the NHS. In a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan, she revealed she'd kept £800,000 from the three books her late dad had written. She claimed that he had wanted them to keep the profits.

The current controversy, described as a "long drawn-out saga" by locals, comes from Hannah having built an "eyesore" spa without planning permission. Many of the villagers gleefully hailed the demolition as a "humiliation" for the daughter of the war hero. Another neighbour, Lesley Gough, 67, told the MailOnline: 'It was not nice for the people who live next to the building. There were trees there before and a tennis court. It is a shame they let it go on for so long. I think they thought they could get away with it.

Hannah was previously accused of taking £800,000 raised by three of her father's books (James Linsell-Clark / SWNS)

"Captain Tom was so popular. His legacy has got lost. He did all those good things and people aren't talking about that anymore." Another woman whose home is overlooked by the spa added: "It is a humiliation for Hannah. I think she thought she could get away with it. I wonder if they will move when it is all over."

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Neighbour Jilly Bozdogan, 70, said this morning: “The tiles are coming off fast and furious.” Another person said: “They are doing a ‘soft strip’, by trying to save everything they possibly can to sell on.” Earlier a workman said: “The pool will be removed before the building is knocked down on Monday.” In August 2021 the couple had been granted permission to build a Captain Tom Foundation Building, to house the covid hero’s memorabilia.

Neighbours were overjoyed that the demolition work had started (PA)

Sir Tom, who was knighted by the late Queen, raised £38 million for NHS charities by completing 100 sponsored laps of the garden of the home during the pandemic in 2020. The World War veteran died in January 2021 aged 100. The couple used the foundation’s name on their first set or plans. But it was not used on a retrospective application for the 49% larger building with its spa pool.

Last week people were seen taking away Captain Tom's prized possessions from the property, including the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, his Guinness Book of Records certificate, paintings and a model aircraft. Some of the items were loaded onto a trolley by workers at the site and taken away.

Ryan Fahey