A furious neighbour of Captain Tom Moore's family has branded their controversial spa and pool building "an eyesore" - and claimed she and other residents were duped.
The woman, who doesn't want to be named, lives near Hannah Ingram-Moore's unsightly C-shaped outhouse, which was meant to be a small charity office for the Captain Tom Foundation.
But it morphed into a spa pool with changing rooms, toilets and showers - and it's left neighbours in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, upset, particularly one neighbour who said last night: "We were all duped. Very quickly we realised what they were up to because, from our windows, we could see the builders digging the hole for the pool."
Speaking to The Sun, she added: "We all fell for the Captain Tom hype when the building was first suggested."
Another neighbour, an elderly woman, also told the publication: "Give me a sledgehammer and I’ll knock the place down myself."
Jilly Bozdogan, whose garden backs up against the property, told BBC: "It obviously didn't adhere to the planning application they submitted and, to be honest, it's an eyesore."
Sir Captain Tom, a former British Army officer, inspired the nation when he raised money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK.
But his reputation is at threat of tarnish as Ms Ingram-Moore, 52, faces extraordinary allegations of exploiting her father’s name. The businesswoman has been ordered by planners to demolish the luxury complex.
She initially faced criticism on social media for her plans.
"He walked so she could swim," wrote one Twitter user.
"He did laps of his garden, so she could do laps of her pool," another shared on the social media site.
Ms Ingram-Moore's neighbours were among households across the country which cheered on Captain Tom as he vowed to complete a sponsored walk to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together during the pandemic. The world’s media descended on his family’s £1.2million home as the war veteran attempted 100 laps of his garden on a walking frame before his 100th birthday on April 30, 2020.
And the grandfather achieved this, raising nearly £39million for the NHS before he died, aged 100, in February 2021 at Bedford Hospital.
The Captain Tom Foundation, registered on June 5, 2020, is no longer seeking funding from donors.
In response to the recent criticism, a spokesperson for the charity said: "At this moment in time, the sole focus of The Captain Tom Foundation is to ensure that it cooperates fully with the ongoing Statutory Inquiry by the Charity Commission.
"As a result, The Captain Tom Foundation is not presently actively seeking any funding from donors.
"Accordingly, we have also taken the decision to close all payment channels whilst the Statutory Inquiry remains open.
"Once the findings of the Statutory Inquiry have been communicated, The Captain Tom Foundation will be in a better position to make a decision in relation to its future, but for now, our main priority is to assist the Charity Commission with its enquiry.
"In the meantime, on behalf of the trustees of The Captain Tom Foundation, we wish to extend a warm thank you to all our supporters who have enabled us to help charities that were close to Captain Sir Tom’s heart."
