Thieves ransack Glastonbury’s Egg Man’s house after his death

The home of a Somerset legend was robbed and vandalised just a month after his death.

Farmer Wilfred Peddle, known in Glastonbury as the ‘Egg Man’, made his living selling eggs from the back of his Morris Minor delivery van.

When his relatives visited his house on Sunday morning, they discovered that someone had “broken in and completely trashed the house.”

Heather Merriman is related to Wilfred, who was her mother’s cousin.

She said: “Wilfred’s memory was simply tarnished by some uncaring people.

“We don’t know what items were left in the house – only Wilfred knew and it’s heartbreaking.

“My aunt and uncle’s bedroom – they’ve been gone for 20 years – Wilf kept the room. It’s just a pile of rubbish now, it’s a terrible memory.”

Ms Merriman added that there were “footprints all over the wall” and a window was broken.

She said Avon and Somerset Police had been contacted and were investigating the case.

Mr Peddle’s death in June sparked an outpouring of condolences locally, with hundreds of people attending his funeral and thousands of supportive comments posted on social media.

Mrs Merriman and the family said they were “overwhelmed” by the affection from local people.

She continued: “I think I was quite surprised at how much Wilf meant to so many people when he died.

“We heard so many stories from people at the funeral, especially about how he continued to deliver eggs on his sleigh despite the terrible snowfall.

“He was a very eccentric character. He led a very simple life for the time. He had no telephone or television, just a radio, and I think people loved that.”

Ms Merriman added that the whole family was still “really devastated” but thanked the Glastonbury community for their “wonderful support”.

Avon and police said they are investigating the incident in which Mr. Peddle’s home was broken into and personal items stolen.

A police statement said: “We were called at 8.20am on Tuesday 16 July to reports of a violent break-in at an address on Old Wells Road in Glastonbury and the theft of a safe.

“The incident is believed to have occurred sometime between noon on Saturday, July 6, and 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 16.

“If you have any information that could assist our investigation, please call 101 and quote the call agent reference number 5224184501.”