Suzy Lamplugh: Search house owners waiting for repairs

A family living in a house searched by police over the murder of Suzy Lamplugh say they are still waiting for major repairs to be carried out.

The Metropolitan Police carried out a two-week search in November at the house in Sutton Coldfield - once owned by the mother of suspect John Cannan.

But Phil Carey said his kitchen needed fixing, the garden was a "state" and a shed was collapsing.

The force said it was committed to restoring the property.

During the search for the body of the estate agent who disappeared in west London in 1986, police excavated the garden, dismantled a garage, removed paving and dug a hole in the kitchen floor.

Phil Carey said only one repair has been carried out since the search ended last year

Mr Carey said he had "guesstimated" repairs would cost between £15,000 to £18,000, with police so far only paying to fix the hole in the kitchen floor.

His freezer and cooker are being stored on the patio underneath a Met Police tent leftover from the search.

Mr Carey, who lives in the semi-detached house on Shipton Road with his family, said: "We were compliant, happy to help.

"It was a tragic story and we're just an innocent party that was a bit part player and we've just been so let down."

Suzy Lamplugh disappeared 32 years ago but her body has never been found

Mr Carey said he had submitted quotes to the force which were subject to approval and was also "trying to source contracts" to get the work carried out.

"We've waited 10 weeks since the Met Police left, and we've got through Christmas, but our kitchen tops are broken.... you name it, it's broken," he said.

Kitchen units and appliances are being stored under a police tent in the garden

Ms Lamplugh was 25 when she disappeared and was declared dead, presumed murdered, in 1994.

Cannan, 64, who is serving a life sentence for the abduction and murder of Bristol newlywed Shirley Banks, was named as a suspect in Ms Lamplugh's murder in 2002.

But Met detectives confirmed "no evidence" was found at property, which officers began searching on 29 October.

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"It was a very surreal feeling knowing the history of the story," Mr Carey said.

"We've been here for 26 years and then living through the media frenzy - we sort of had 20 to 30 media on one side of the house and 15 to 20 police on the other side.

"It was bizarre."

The garden also needs to be repaired after police dug it up as part of the search, Mr Carey said

In a statement, the Met said it was "committed to restoring the property to its condition prior to the work carried out by officers", adding: "Detectives continue to liaise with the homeowners."

A former Met detective said Cannan looked similar to an e-fit of "Mr Kipper" - a man to whom Ms Lamplugh was seen talking to in Fulham on the day she went missing