'Find £295,000 or go' canal family told (From Gazette Series)

'Find £295,000 or go' canal family told

A CAMBRIDGE man fears he could be evicted from his rented home because he is unable to find the money to buy it.

Colin Hadden, 47, has been living in the bridge keeper's cottage, in Ryalls Lane, on the Gloucester to Sharpness Canal since 1997.

But now he has been told by British Waterways, which owns the house, that he must come up with £295,000 to buy the property or leave.

Mr Hadden, who lives at the house with his partner and her son, said his landlords had been unwilling to negotiate.

He claimed: "It's a story about corporate greed over my tenancy here. There has been no negotiation.

"I was told at a meeting to come up with the money or they would evict us. "We are talking about my home here. All I want is a bit more time to find the money."

Mr Hadden works as the deputy manager of a residential home in Slimbridge and takes an active part in community life.

"We will be absolutely devastated if we are forced to leave. I've made my life and home here.

"The cottage was empty when I came but I've nurtured the garden and now it appears in the British Waterways' brochure as a lovely place to visit.

"I've invested quite heavily in the place and I've basically been told that I'll be out on my ear in a couple of months unless I come up with the money."

As his partner owns a property in Uley, Mr Hadden would like the company to give him more time so that a sale can be made there to help the couple organise their funds.

He is concerned that if British Waterways were to place an eviction order on the Cambridge house he would get just two months' notice.

But British Waterways has insisted that no eviction order has been made and that its officials were still negotiating with Mr Hadden over the sale of the cottage.

Press officer Kent Daniels said: "British Waterways prides itself on being a responsible and proactive landlord.

"If we sell one of our properties, any profits made go straight back into the maintenance of the canals for the enjoyment of everybody.

"We have been in discussions with Mr Hadden since March and continue to try to resolve this matter favourably for both parties."