Your house will be bulldozed for Games, prankster tells girlfriend

A prankster sent a fake letter to his girlfriend saying the council was going to knock down her house to make way for an Olympic sandpit.

Wesley Hawes, 32, a copywriter from Battersea, reduced his girlfriend to tears after writing to her under the guise of a Hackney councillor, informing her of council plans to demolish her house to make way for "Olympic training facilities".

He wrote in the last line of his letter: "I'm sure you will join us in our anticipation of the world's greatest sporting event coming straight to your doorstep (quite literally, the sand pit's being built in your garden)."

The letter informed Roz Cooper, 33, that her house had been valued at £163,500 and to make up for any inconveniences Boris Johnson would offer her complimentary fencing and table tennis tickets.

Mr Hawes said: "I suppose I am taking a light-hearted view of today's society." But he admitted: "As soon as Roz called me I realised she was quite upset."

Miss Cooper, who is a personal assistant in advertising, said: "I just completely fell for it. After a few days I saw the funny side." It is one of scores of prank letters Mr Hawes has sent out to recipients, including celebrities such as Stephen Fry.

He has sent Fry about 50 letters written as tweets, updating him on what he was up to. He added: "I think he is quite boring on Twitter and tweets too much so I thought I'd give him a taste of his own medicine."