‘I felt violated’: Police raid social workers house and refuse to pay for damage

A couple have said they were left feeling “violated” after police raided their home while they were away and left two doors completely broken.

Eroll Lodge, 68, and Beverley Oakley-Lodge, 58, returned to their home in Lavender Sweep, Battersea, after a weekend away in January, to find their front door broken with a padlock holding it shut.

Mrs Oakley-Lodge, who is a social worker, said: “I felt violated.

“It was dark so I couldn’t see that well – the glass in the door frame was smashed and there were two big padlocks.

“At first I didn’t know what had happened, then I saw the sticker saying we needed to go down to the police station.”

The couple went to the police station but Mrs Lodge said the officer they spoke to was “extremely unhelpful”.

She said: “Nothing had been logged or recorded and the officers responsible for the raid had gone off – there had been no pass over.

“The desk sergeant only gave us the details of an insurance claim.”

The police got in touch with Mr and Mrs Lodge the next week to explain that they had a warrant to search the property for drugs.

Mr Lodge said: “It wasn’t right. They kicked the doors in and didn’t find anything and now they are refusing to pay for it to be fixed.

“Couldn’t they just survey the house for a bit to see what’s going on? An officer told us they had got a call from a neighbour accusing us of having drugs in the property.

“There is no way we would be doing something like that – my wife could lose her job.”

Mr and Mrs Lodge had to wait two nights for someone to fix their front door, which ended up costing them £600.

Mrs Oakley-Lodge said: “We couldn’t just get a regular locksmith because there was so much damage to the door frame.

“We felt so unsafe and embarrassed – we didn’t know who had seen. We bought this house in 1993 – the first time anything like this has happened.”

Mrs Oakley-Lodge said she was also concerned after police had gone through her work bags.

She said: “All my cases are confidential. I didn’t feel comfortable with them looking through all of it.”

Mr Lodge made a formal complaint about the raid and the “unnecessary damage” but the police said that the raid was “conducted legitimately and correctly”.

Mr Lodge says he seeking compensation for the costs to repair the door and for the Met to admit responsibility for the “emotional damage caused for both of them”.

A spokesman from the Met said: “Officers executed a drugs warrant at an address in Wandsworth. 

“The warrant was issued by a magistrates court following information provided to the court by police. No arrests were made.

“Officers later spoke to the occupants to explain the reason for the warrant and provide advice on how to get the door repaired.

“A complaint was made in relation to this incident. 

“This was assessed by the Directorate of Professional Standards which identified no misconduct.”

Pictured top: Beverly Oakley Lodge and Errol Lodge (Picture: Beverly Oakley Lodge)