A Wiltshire family claim they suffered the house move from hell after the former owner did not leave and 'shut the door in their faces'.

Natalie and Jonathan Othen say they lost their savings that was planned for a trip to Disneyland after they were forced to move all their stuff into storage and pay for a hotel.

Natalie and Jonathan Othen bought their home on Herd Street, in Marlborough from Guy Loosmore, a councillor and former mayor of the town, in November 2021.

But when they, their two children and their two dogs arrived from Bath at the property ready to start a new life after signing the paperwork and collecting the keys, Mr Loosmore allegedly refused to leave as he had not finished packing.

The Othen family were left stranded on the street for two hours waiting for Mr Loosmore to vacate the property, but soon realised he would not be going anywhere that day.

The removal truck was forced to put all the family’s possessions into storage, while they checked into a hotel for two nights until they could move in.

Mrs Othen said: “He was extremely difficult, and we ended up not getting into the house until later that weekend when he eventually moved out.

“We had literally nothing. My little one was in nappies, and we had no nappies or bottles for her. It got later and later, and we were left standing on the street with our kids.

“It was awful and the children didn’t understand why we couldn’t go in. They were so excited to go to their new home and he shut the door in their faces. The process of moving into our forever home was totally damaged.”

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: The Othens' dream home on Herd Street.The Othens' dream home on Herd Street. (Image: Natalie Othen)

The Othens claim they lost £5,241.59 paying for storage, transportation of their belongings and other expenses as a result of the delay.

That money had been earmarked for a trip to Disneyland, which they have not been able to afford.

Mrs Othen added: “That kind of money is big to us. That was what we had saved to take the kids away which we then couldn’t do. To him it might be nothing but to us, it’s a lot.

“I’m devastated because we had saved that money to take our children to Disneyland… that’s been my dream. We were just lucky we had it to use.”

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: The Othens before their baby was born.The Othens before their baby was born. (Image: Natalie Othen)

The family have since been seeking compensation from Mr Loosmore, who now lives in Bradford-on-Avon, for their financial losses but they say he has ignored all attempts to make contact.

Both parties used the same solicitor initially, but after a recommendation from the estate agents this was changed so they had different solicitors from the same firm - Countrywide Conveyancing Services.

Mr Loosmore is a Marlborough town councillor who chairs the property committee and sits on the planning and staffing committees.

He has been contacted for comment several times but has not responded.