'Tank' parked by customer leaves Basingstoke Wickes store

As previously reported, Paul Gibbons from Kingsclere parked the vehicle outside the Wickes in Basingstoke in December in protest against the company, which installed his kitchen in February 2023.

The 63-year-old has demanded a refund from Wickes for the £25,000 kitchen installation, which he claims has been plagued with issues including mould under the sink and badly fitting units with a poor finish, with one heavy drawer nearly collapsing on his dog.

READ MORE: Tank still parked outside Basingstoke Wickes two weeks later

His 'tank' protest has made national headlines after it was originally reported in the Basingstoke Gazette.

Now Wickes has come forward to speak about the situation, saying they have had to call the police. 

@basingstokegazette Tanks for the memories :( #wickes #tank #protest #consumer ♬ Love Is Gone (feat. Dylan Matthew) (Acoustic) - SLANDER, Dylan Matthew

A notice was put on the vehicle warning that it will be removed ‘within 14 days’ of the date of the notice, dated January 23.

On Tuesday, February 6 the tank finally moved, making a small journey to Leisure Park Road where it was towed away.

A Gazette reporter spoke to Paul just before it left the store. 

He said: "The tank has given me the exposure I hope to be able to go onto the next stage, which is criminal proceedings. I know there are thousands of people in the same situation and hopefully we can all come together and get strength in numbers like the Post Office scandal. 

"It would have been nice if it could have stayed here until it was finished but they just keep pushing it back and I have no idea when it will be finished. It is an old vehicle and it needs looking after.

"It has been a long time. The nice thing about it being here is that people have come to talk and they wouldn't have talked to me otherwise. So that has definitely been useful. Most people have been abstotley fantastic. I find it quite astonishing that so many people have got similar problems."

SEE ALSO: Wickes has warned it will 'destroy or remove' the 'tank'

Mr Gibbons parked the huge vehicle – a 1963 decommissioned Abbot self-propelled gun which he borrowed from a friend – outside the store on December 27 and declared he wouldn’t move it until he received a refund.

Wickes has now also banned Mr Gibbons from entering any of its stores after claiming he was 'aggressive' towards staff. 

A Wickes spokesperson previously told the Gazette that its customer relations team is in contact with Mr Gibbons to discuss the installation and help to resolve the issue.

A spokesperson added: "We arranged for a full and independent inspection of Mr Gibbon’s kitchen by The Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman. Their assessment was that 2-3 days remedial work would be required to bring the kitchen up to a satisfactory standard.  They also noted that some of the damage to the kitchen was caused by Mr Gibbons himself.

"Following this independent guidance, we offered to pay for the cost of the remedial works, plus an additional sum as compensation. Both of which he has rejected.

"As well as parking the tank outside our store, he has personally demonstrated unacceptable and aggressive behaviour towards members of our team. As the safety and wellbeing of our team members is our number one priority we immediately reported these incidents to the police and increased security measures at the store.

"We are pleased to see that he has now taken the decision to remove the tank from our premises and would like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience or concern that the presence of the tank may have caused.

"Our offer remains open to Mr Gibbons if he wishes to complete the remedial works to his kitchen and receive the compensation."