Madonna slates our builders

Madonna has incurred the wrath of the capital's builders.

The pop icon lambasted the workmen renovating her house - and led builders' unions to call for her to leave the country.

The singer hit out at "workshy" labourers during an MSN webchat with fans, saying she couldn't believe how long it had taken for them to complete the renovations on her £5.7 million eightbedroom Georgian house just off Oxford Street.

She said: "I can't believe how people don't like to work. I'm renovating a house right now and the working week starts at noon on Monday and ends at noon on Friday.

"I'm a bit spoiled. I'm used to people in America working seven days a week. It's highly irritating. They leave work at five and there are bank holidays every minute here. When you hire an employee they remind you that they get four weeks' paid vacation.''

Jerry Swain, of builders union UCATT, said: "She really does sound highly arrogant. If she doesn't like the way we do things over here, she can go back where she came from." Emily Thomas, spokesperson for builders' union GMB, added: "Slave labour in Britain finished years ago."