Noel and Shirley Sims, 76 and 72, have lost their three-year battle with the Highways Agency to remain in the home following a compulsory purchase order on the property to make way for improvements to the A1.

But Mr Sims returned to the house this morning (Thursday) and vowed to continue the battle to keep his home.

He said: "I have not given up the fight yet.

"The police should get a nice cell ready for me."

Police and bailiffs arrived at the Sims' home in Bourne Road, Colsterworth, just before midday on Wednesday.

Mr Sims was returning home when police officers intercepted him without warning outside the property. He became aggressive and was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace.

A team of specialist police officers entered the house along with an explosives sniffer dog to check for booby traps.

Police say the measures were taken as a precaution after Mr Sims made threats to use explosives if officials tried to take his home away.

Locks were changed and the power supply cut within hours of the eviction and a 24-hour security team set up a base outside the front door.

Mr and Mrs Sims spent Wednesday night in a caravan inside his workshop which is yards from his home and not part of the compulsory purchase order.

He intends to continue living with Shirley in the workshop until the Highways Agency pay at least twice the £300,000 on offer or build them an identical house on nearby land.

On Thursday morning he returned to the grounds of the house, used ladders to climb onto the garage roof, and then set off the air-raid siren in his workshop and spent much of the morning digging up roses from his front garden.

The eviction comes almost three weeks after a deadline from the Highways Agency for the couple to leave expired.

Colin Chadwick, Highways Agency senior construction manager, said on Wednesday: "My team are really disappointed and saddened that the effort throughout the last three years has led to today having to be necessary."

The Highways Agency will remove all of the Sims' possessions from the house and pay for them to be kept in storage until they have a new home.

A Highways Agency spokesman said: "We would hope to be able to demolish the house as soon as possible to get on with the construction."

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