A RAGING landlord blocked Yodel vans from leaving a depot in a furious rent row – before fed-up drivers sawed through gates so they could continue delivering parcels.
Walter Watson Ltd – which rented out a site in Kilmarnock to the delivery giant – told how they arranged for the entrance to be barricaded with a lorry after Yodel breached its contract.
It comes after the nation-wide steel fabricator had demanded Yodel to vacate their premises by May 2, with “a lot of distrust” brewing when they continued services without paying extra rent.
Walter Watson Ltd’s drastic action today meant all deliveries had to be halted for hours, with ten huge trucks being abandoned by the roadside outside the site.
It wasn’t long before disgruntled workers took matters into their own hands and called in a local contractor to saw down a section of the metal fence, using power tools.
Drivers were then able to access the Southhook Industrial Estate and resume normal services by around 1.30pm.
A source said: “They had to act. Otherwise hundreds of people across Ayrshire wouldn’t be getting their deliveries for days.”
A Walter Watson spokesman blasted the firm, whose contract at the site ended on May 2.
He said: “There’s a dispute about payment and a lot of distrust between the landlord and Yodel.
“Yodel went back on previous agreements that were made, so forced the landlord to take this action.
“Yodel was given notice to vacate the premises by May 2, and they wanted to stay for another 12 weeks, but haven’t committed to paying for the extra 12 weeks.”
He said: “We want to reassure our customers that we’re doing everything we can to try and resolve this situation and have urgently restructured our network to minimise service delays.
“We intend to prioritise any impacted parcels and would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”
Cops attended on Thursday at 1.30pm, after the lorry was found obstructing the entrance.
A Police Scotland spokesman added: ” Officers attended and advice and assistance was given.
