
A builder is accused of using a digger to cause up to £4 million of damage to a row of newly built retirement homes after he was 'sacked for leaving a work vehicle in Romania'.

Romanian national Daniel Neagu, 30, was charged with criminal damage after five homes worth approximately £800,000 each were wrecked in Buntingford, Hertfordshire.

Neagu, of Harrow, north west London, who had performed work for the firm, did not enter a plea during the hearing at Hatfield Magistrates' Court this afternoon.

Using an interpreter, he appeared via videolink from police cells following the demolition of the McCarthy and Stone properties.

The wreckage of one of the homes in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, after the demolition work

The ruined front of a house after a man is claimed to have wrecked them in a row over pay

The front of one of the houses has been completely torn down, with plasterboard and brickwork lying in rubble

A close up of the one the new build properties after the demolition, with the digger in the foreground

The homes in the small village, which were just weeks from being completed, had external walls torn out, leaving debris littering their gardens.

A turquoise digger stood beside the devastation.

Speaking outside Neagu's rented home in Harrow today, fellow Romanian Silvu Margean said he had taken him in as a favour to a friend.

He said: 'I haven't seen him for more than two weeks - I tried to call him but nothing. He moved in here in January and then said I'm going on holiday.

Daniel Neagu, 30, from Harrow is due to appear at Hatfield Magistrates court today charged with causing criminal damage after the homes, pictured, were destroyed

Up to five homes were damaged in the incident and debris can be seen lying on the ground. One witness said it looked like 'an earthquake or a bomb had struck'

Police shared pictures of the wreckage in Buntingford saying that a man was in custody

'A friend asked me, 'my friend has nowhere to stay' and I said I would help.'

He added: 'I never had problems from him. My wife is always alone with my son and they were alone with him.

'If I had suspicions I would not have left him alone with them.'

Hertfordshire Constabulary said officers arrested a man at the scene after being called at about 5.40pm on Saturday.

Elaine Francois, who called the police, told The Sun: 'It looks like an earthquake or bomb struck.'

Prices for the homes on the new build estate, pictured, started from £435,000. The repair bill could now top £500,000

Half of this home has been completely ripped apart. A window has been left hanging on the wall, and timber and plasterboard lies next to it

She said when police arrived he was 'totally calm.'

A fellow builder who had been involved in the construction and was expecting to return on Monday said he was 'angry' after going to see the damage because he did not know what he would do for work.

Jeffrey Keys, 53, said: 'We were meant be returning on Monday but now don't know what we're doing for work.

'I'm angry.'

Neagu, who spoke in court only to give his name and address and state his desire not to enter a plea yet, was charged with one count of criminal damage to the value of £4 million on five houses belonging to McCarthy and Stone.

Walls and window frames were wrecked at the row of new-build houses in Buntingford, Hertfordshire

One neighbour said the police took the man away in handcuffs and 'caused no trouble' after the houses were destroyed

Building materials can be seen lying inside one of the houses with its front completely ripped down. The properties were just weeks away from being occupied

A view of the row of houses damaged in the incident, showing up to three diggers nearby

A view of the new build estate in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, which gives no indication of the damage caused to the houses

Neagu's rented home in Harrow today. A neighbour said he had not been seen at the property for the last fortnight

He will now appear for a plea hearing at St Albans Crown Court on September 10.

A spokesperson for McCarthy & Stone said: 'Following an incident at our Buntingford site on Saturday, our response team has been on-site and we can confirm that five newly built bungalows have been damaged.

'We are now awaiting a structural engineer's report, so we can plan the work required to repair or rebuild these properties.

'The five properties were all unoccupied at the time, with homeowners set to move in in the coming weeks.

'We are absolutely devastated for the purchasers affected; and our priority is to continue to stay in close contact with them and their families, and to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.

'We will also continue to assist the police with their enquiries; and we can confirm that the individual who has been charged is not an employee of McCarthy & Stone.'