A British family sitting down to breakfast at home were horrified to find vengeful builders had scaled their roof to tear it down.
James and Julia Arthur and their two young children watched helplessly as the man who had built their $840,000 home five years ago set about ripping it to pieces.
The builder, Royden Toon, later claimed the Arthurs still owed him money despite the couple having handed over more than $56,000 for the job — which was never fully completed.
Some ten police squad cars and a helicopter were called in a bid to get Mr Toon and his son down from the roof, but they could not stop the builders causing an estimated $31,000 in damage.
"Our two small children were with us when it all started — we were absolutely petrified," Mrs Arthur told the Daily Mail.
"We didn't know what was happening."
The Arthurs rejected Mr Toon's claim that they owed him money, insisting the builder had abandoned the job despite a long list of unfinished tasks.
"The work that was carried out was defective and incomplete," Mr Arthur said.
"Concrete paths had not been laid properly and the rendering to the exterior was poor."
Mr Arthur said the toilets had also not been plumbed properly and the family soon uncovered a gas leak.
The couple eventually called in other builders at the time to complete the work.
But Mr Toon said the family had always seemed delighted with his job.
"Mr Arthur's father even came round and told us how impressed he was," Mr Toon said.
"[But] I finally decided enough was enough … I wanted to reclaim my materials for the unpaid work."
Mr Arthur said he would be seeking damages from Mr Toon over the wrecking incident.
A police spokesman said the builder and his son "were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life and bailed pending further inquiries".
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