Wednesday 22 June 2022 11:08 AM Boxing promoter Frank Warren's wife is sued by builders for £1.2m for failing ... trends now
Boxing promoter Frank Warren's wife is locked in a £1.2million court battle with builders after the couple's lavish million-pound extension was derailed by bats in the attic.
Former Vogue model Susan Warren is being sued by a building firm after refusing to settle a bill for an extension to the Grade-II listed mansion at their eight-acre country estate, Frogmore Farm, in Hertfordshire.
A team of builders was enlisted in 2017 and 2018 to create a modern glass-walled extension to the east side of the 16th century main house, with a single storey above ground and a basement, as well as works to renovate and modify the existing house.
But Mrs Warren fell out with the boss of the company managing the build, Caudle Developments Ltd, after work on the couple's mansion stopped for six months over issues caused by protected bats living in the attic of their historic house.
Former Vogue model Susan Warren is being sued by a building firm after refusing to settle a bill for an extension to the Grade-II listed mansion at their eight-acre country estate, Frogmore Farm (pictured), in Hertfordshire
Dan Caudle, director of Caudle Developments, eventually told his team to down tools, claiming Mrs Warren had failed to keep up with payments following the bat delay and the couple enlisted another building company to finish the project.
Now the building company is suing Mrs Warren claiming around £1.2million compensation for lost profit, unpaid bills and loss of business.
Mrs Warren however denies owing the builders anything, claiming the £900,000 they were paid before walking out more than covers the value of the work they did.
She is also countersuing for £400,000 to cover what it cost to get the project finished.
Frogmore Farm, at Watton at Stone, Hertford, is home to boxing business legend Frank Warren and ex-model Susan, his second wife.
But Mrs Warren (left) fell out with the boss of the company managing the build, Caudle Developments Ltd, after work on the couple's mansion stopped for six months over issues caused by protected bats living in the attic of their historic house. Right: Builder Dan Caudle
Mr Warren, 70, has promoted and managed many of the UK's best boxers, including Naseem Hamed, Frank Bruno, Tyson Fury, Joe Calzaghe, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Amir Khan and Ricky Hatton.
The house, which was originally built in the 16th century with later alterations, has a traditional exposed timber frame with mullioned casement windows and is surrounded by eight acres of formal gardens and meadows, plus a large swimming pool.
In 2015, Mrs Warren had plans approved for a modern glass-walled extension to the side of the house, along with other improvements.
The couple knew they had bats - a protected species - living in their attic at the time and had a dedicated 'bat house' pre-built as part of their plans, for the rare flying mammals to be moved into to prevent them being disturbed.
Frogmore Farm (pictured), at Watton at Stone, Hertford, is home to boxing business legend Frank Warren and ex-model Susan, his second wife
But after enlisting Mr Caudle's company to do the rest of the works at a contract price of £1,052,680 plus VAT, the bats halted the build in October 2017 after four months, when it was discovered that neither Mrs Warren nor the builders had obtained the special licence from Natural England which was required to move the bats to their new home.
By the time the licence was acquired, the bats were hibernating and could not be disturbed and no work affecting the roof was carried out between October 2017 and April 2018.
The work then restarted for six months until the falling out, when Mrs Warren became disgruntled with how long the works were taking after the bat delay, and Mr Caudle complained that his payments were not up to date.
Mr Caudle told
