I returned from a trip to the shops to find my entire patio had VANISHED – the council took it & I had no idea

A WOMAN was left stunned after returning from a shopping trip to find her entire patio had VANISHED.

Laurie Penny says she had no idea the council were coming to remove the dozens of tiles from her North London pad.

BPM Media

Laurie Penny was stunned after returning from a shopping trip to see her patio had vanished[/caption]

BPM Media

North London based Laurie says that the council were responsible for removing the tiles[/caption]

The resident was left understandably baffled when she came home after a few hours to discover her patio had disappeared.

She was even more confused to find her outdoor furniture had been neatly stacked away by the mystery patio poachers.

Laurie noted: “Thieves don’t generally tidy up afterwards. Or stack the furniture so neatly.”

The only other clue was that the patio pinchers must have entered via scaffolding set up against the side of her building.

The Londoner was left with no choice but to take to social media regarding the incident, asking Islington Council if they knew what had happened.

She wrote in a tweet: “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?”

Laurie was later informed that by Islington Council that workers had removed the patio to repair a serious leak at the property.

The tiles were removed so teams could renew the structure’s waterproof membrane.

The local authority admitted the resident should have been informed of the planned work and that her outdoor area would be eradicated in the process.

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.

It was a hilarious mess up, but it has a happy ending. By next week I should have a new patio!

Laurie Penny

“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.”

Islington Council said the repairs and replacement should be completed by September 5.

Speaking of the bizarre blunder, Laurie told MyLondon: “It was a hilarious mess up, but it has a happy ending.

“By next week I should have a new patio!”

She updated her social media followers on Saturday, saying the council had already returned “some” of the patio.

Laurie also celebrated that the scaffolding surrounding her home had been shifted next door, joking: “It is also bad news because now I have to get an actual washing line.”

We previously told how a couple discovered they had been living in the wrong house for 20 years due to a mix-up with council paperwork.