Firefighters kick down door of WW2 veteran, 92, before HE receives £200 bill for damage
Problems started when Charlie Davey, of Tamerton Foliot, Devon, fell asleep when his carer failed to show for his daily appointment
A WORLD war two veteran whose door was kicked in by firefighters was then sent a £200 bill for the damage.
Problems started when Charlie Davey, 92, fell asleep when his carer failed to show up for his regular daily appointment.
Staff from Guinness Care visit Mr Davey every day during the early evening to make sure that he is okay - but on this occasion they were running late.
His daughter Sue Dorral, 57, then received a call from staff at the care firm to say that they had arrived to check up on her dad but couldn't get into his house.
Staff from Guinness Care feared he may be in trouble and called 999 to break down the door.
Charlie from Tamerton Foliot in Devon then received a bill for over £200 for the damages.
Sue said: "They asked if I could go and let them in but I explained that I only have a key for the back door which he bolts shut.
"I said that they should get hold of his neighbour who has a key to the front door. I also explained that he goes to bed very early every night and he was probably asleep.
"I didn't hear anything until they called me back a few hours later to say that they had phoned the ambulance, fire service and police."
Grandfather-of-six Charlie said he was absolutely petrified by the incident - but he was even more scared when a bill for more than £200 arrived in the post.
Charlie received a letter from security firm Rapid Secure, who had been called out by the police to fix his door, saying that he owed them £204.
He said: "If the district nurse had rung me up and said 'I'll be a bit late Charlie' it would have been alright. Then I wouldn't have to worry about bills."
Guinness Care have now apologised for the incident, saying that they called the emergency services because they were concerned for the 92-year-old's welfare.
A spokesperson for the care firm, which is contracted by Plymouth City Council, said: "We apologise fully to Mr Davey and his family that our carer was late in calling.
"When our carer arrived we made every effort to contact him and his family but were initially unsuccessful.
"The safety of our customers is our top priority so we immediately sought to minimise any potential risks and as a result, emergency services were called and they entered his home."
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A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "The ambulance service called the fire service to gain entry to the property due to concerns for the welfare for an elderly man inside the premises."
Rapid Secure offers a 24-hour emergency boarding up service to properties that have been broken into or accidentally damaged.
Rapid Secure were approached for a statement but they refused to comment.
Charlie has since received a call to tell him that he would no longer need to pay the invoice as "everything had been sorted".
Charlie and his daughter Sue said that they still wanted to share their story in case something similar had happened to someone else.