Council bosses have apologised after a workman buried his cat in a tenant’s garden.

Charlie Murrell, from Ashford, was left stunned when the subcontractor turned up with a shovel and made the bizarre request during the refurbishment of her bathroom.

The 21-year-old says she felt pressured into saying yes and reluctantly agreed - but has now spoken out after being left “very shaken up”.

She told KentOnline: “It takes a lot for me to let people in my home and they just completely broke my trust.”

The “unsettling” incident occurred after Ashford Borough Council (ABC) recruited property management company Axis to undertake a programme of bathroom upgrades to its housing stock - including at Ms Murrell’s flat.

On Tuesday, November 5, two workers subcontracted by the firm arrived at her home. She says they told her their colleague had taken the day off as his cat had died, but he would be joining them tomorrow.

When the third man arrived the following day, he shocked Ms Murrell with the unusual request.

“They were working as normal, and then at around lunchtime, the man in question asked me if he could bury his dead cat in my garden,” Ms Murrell said.

“I was completely taken aback by the question. It was totally out of the blue.”

Ms Murrell, who has lived at the property for the past two years, says she felt pressured to agree to the burial.

She said: “He goes to me, ‘Could I bury my cat in your garden - it’s either that or I have to burn him, and he was my favourite one. I brought the shovel with me and everything’.

“I had three men I had never met before in my flat, and I felt very intimidated. So I reluctantly said yes.

“I felt like I couldn’t really say no.

“I was very shaken up by the whole thing.”

The former care worker believes the subcontractor may have felt encouraged she would agree to his request due to her love for animals.

Ms Murrell has four cats – Echo, Milo, Kylo, and Coco – and a rabbit named Pudding.

“I’m really not sure why he brought the cat to my house in the first place, but I have a feeling it’s because his colleagues told him about the pets I have,” she said.

“Maybe they felt like I would say yes to the request. No one should have to burn their animals.”

Ms Murrell later discovered from her neighbours that the subcontractor had borrowed their shovel to dig the grave for his pet.

She also expressed concerns about the quality of the work done in her bathroom.

She was left with large amounts of dust covering her property which she claims has given her “breathing problems”.

Ms Murrell says an Axis employee visited her property on Thursday, November 7, to take a look at the refurbishment works.

We are deeply sorry for the recent events that Ms Murrell has experienced…

It was then she made a complaint about the burial of the cat.

“I was told that this should never have happened and someone would come out and remove the cat from the grave on Friday,” she said.

“Sure enough, a different contractor came round, dug up the cat, and took it away.”

Although Ms Murrell received £200 from Axis to cover cleaning costs from the dust, she feels the compensation was insufficient.

ABC has now apologised for the distress caused to Ms Murrell for all the upsetting events, including the incident with the cat.

A spokesperson said: “We are deeply sorry for the recent events that Ms Murrell has experienced with her bathroom replacement.”

They said when the council was alerted, it immediately took steps to resolve the situation, with a member of its housing team attending to assess the issues.

“He jointly agreed an action plan with her to remedy the problems,” the spokesperson said.

“This same officer has visited Ms Murrell on at least four occasions.

“The main contractor took remedial action to complete the bathroom installation, using an alternative subcontractor to the one that originally carried out the works at the property.

“We understand that the subcontractor originally involved has subsequently been dismissed by the main contractor.

“All works have now been completed and the tenant is being financially compensated by the main contractor for cleaning costs.”

Axis was approached for a comment by KentOnline but a spokesperson said the firm would not be able to respond until after Christmas.