Protester sticks it out in store row

Dennis Pritchard, 40, (pictured with his wife, Sue) of Bettws, stuck his right hand to the counter at Comet in protest, claiming he had been told he would have to wait weeks for it to be fixed.

Retail chain Comet fixed the fan after the protest last Thursday, but Mr Pritchard said it stopped working the next day.

He was due to hold further talks with the store today . Mr Pritchard bought the oven from the store last month but late found the fan was not working.

He claimed he made several phone calls to the customer services department and the manager and said he was told the parts needed to mend the fan were not available until next month.

Mr Pritchard said: "I spent £649 on the oven. I kept phoning the customer services but the response I got was unsatisfactory. I was thinking about what to do the night before I did it. I just came up with the idea of glueing my hand to the counter."

Last Thursday, Mr Pritchard went to Comet and told a check-out girl the problem with his oven.

He claimed: "She spoke to someone on the phone and they said I would have to wait until next month for the parts to arrive.

"So I put the glue on my hand and stuck it to the counter. "She was gobsmacked." Another member of staff called the police and fire brigade but Mr Pritchard was able to rip his hand off the counter, tearing his skin slightly.

He said: "It worked though, they came and fixed the fan at half past nine the next morning."

A spokeswoman for Comet confirmed Mr Pritchard reported the fault on the 19 May, 2003. She said the cooker had since been repaired to the customer's satisfaction. But by Friday night, Mr Pritchard said, the cooker was again out of action.

After another trip to Comet to complain, Mr Pritchard said he was told it would be repaired this week.

Mr Pritchard is not stranger to protests. Fifteen years ago he chained himself to railings outside a furniture shop in Newport after a wardrobe was delivered without doors.