Local residents in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, are overjoyed that the unauthorised luxury spa belonging to Captain Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, and her husband Colin, is being dismantled following a council enforcement order.

The £200,000 structure, which had been subject to a November ruling mandating its demolition within three months, has been a source of frustration for villagers who considered it an “eyesore.” Workmen were recently spotted removing boxes and artwork from the site, signalling the commencement of the demolition process. On Tuesday, a low-loader lorry arrived at their home to facilitate the erection of scaffolding for the demolition work.

Local residents have expressed their satisfaction that the spa is finally being taken down, with many feeling that Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband had presumed they could evade the consequences of their actions. Sue Martindale, aged 60, commented, “They live in a big house and they thought they could get away with it. They deserve what they have got.” Neighbour Jilly Bozdogan, aged 70, added, “The tiles are coming off fast and furious. I am glad they are finally getting on with it. It has been a long drawn-out saga. My garden backs onto it, and it is an eyesore. I have had to plant trees to try to block it out.”

In August 2021, the couple had obtained permission to construct a Captain Tom Foundation Building to house memorabilia of the beloved Covid-19 hero, Sir Tom Moore, who raised £38 million for NHS charities by completing 100 sponsored laps of his garden during the pandemic in 2020. However, the foundation’s name was not utilised in their subsequent application for a larger building with a spa pool. The council rejected the retrospective planning request for the altered plans in November 2022, after local residents had signed a petition denouncing the structure as “ugly, featureless, overbearing, oversized, and completely out of character.”

Following the commencement of demolition work, neighbour Richard Gough, aged 68, reported hearing workmen removing tiles from the roof early in the morning. His wife Lesley, aged 67, lamented the lengthy delay, stating, “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. 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 neighbour noted the relief in seeing the spa’s demolition progress and remarked, “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.” Meanwhile, another villager expressed sadness over the tarnished legacy, saying, “It is a shame because of all the good he has done – they have tarnished it. It is not a good look for the village.”