A NEWMARKET couple claim they have become prisoners in their own home after the locks on their front door were repeatedly superglued.
Iain Gilfillan, 46, and his wife Zoe, 29, said they now were frightened to be in their Sassoon Close house after they were targeted four times over the past month.
In the latest incident the terrified couple were trapped inside their home for thre
e hours before workmen from Kings' Forest Housing could free them and fix a new lock.
"That night we were so worried it was going to happen again that we sat up for most of the night in hope they would come back so we could catch them," said Mr Gilfillan who works as a computer support engineer at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
"I feel like we are being driven out of our own home. We are asking to get a transfer but that is not simple."
The couple's tormenters first hit while they were on holiday in the Dominican Republic. They arrived home to find they could not get in because the locks had been superglued.
Four days later, on June 9, the culprits struck again this time while the couple were at work.
Then in the early hours of June 13 when they went to let their dog out before going to bed they could not get out of the house.
Mrs Gilfillan, had been set to take part in the Cambridge Race for Life event the next day but couldn't because she was trapped inside the house.
"We just can't go on like this," said Mr Gilfillan.
"Neither of us have been sleeping. My wife is especially worried that if we got trapped in here and there was a fire we would not be able to get out.
"She is being made redundant at work so it has been very stressful over the past two months for her and to have this on top of it is the last thing she needs."
The couple have contacted their local councillor Warwick Hirst who said both the housing association and the police were aware of what he said was a "terrible situation."
Richard Radcliffe, managing director of Kings' Forest Housing, said: "It is unfortunate that Mr and Mrs Gilfillan have experienced this unacceptable behaviour.
"We have repaired the damaged door and offered to contact the fire service on their behalf should they want advice or an assessment of their home undertaken.
"We have also liaised with the local police and the Safer Neighbourhoods Team over this incident so that Mr and Mrs Gilfillan can continue to be safe in their home."
A spokeswoman for Suffolk Police confirmed that officers were investigating a number of incidents of criminal damage at a property in Sassoon Close over the past month.
"House to house inquiries have been carried out and the Safer Neighbourhood Team has met with partners to discuss a way forward," she said.
l Anyone who sees any suspicious behaviour in the area should contact Pc Katie Ellis at the Newmarket Safer Neighbourhood Team on 01284 774100.
