'He's got a bloody nerve!' F1 fan who owns Lewis Hamilton's childhood home says racer has 'lost touch with reality' when he branded hometown a 'slum' (and says the property is now worth £1million)
- Trevor Lugmayer, 73 and his wife Valerie, live in star's former six-bedroom home
- Hamilton moved to their Stevenage home at 12 staying there from 1997 to 2001
- Driver, 33, had to make a groveling apology after he described town as a 'slum'
The couple who live in Lewis Hamilton's old house have hit back after he referred to it as a 'slum', saying he has lost touch with reality.
Trevor Lugmayer, 73, and his wife Valerie, 76, now own the six-bedroom house in Stevenage, Hertfordshire where the racing driver, 33, lived as a youngster.
They are among hundreds of Stevenage residents left outraged after the F1 champion spoke ill of his hometown during his speech for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
He was forced to issue a grovelling apology after he 'chose the wrong words' to describe the sleepy suburban city he grew up in.
Trevor Lugmayer, 73, and his wife Valerie, 76 (pictured) now own the six-bedroom house in Stevenage, Hertfordshire where racing driver Lewis Hamilton, 33, lived as a youngster
A blue plaque honouring the young racing driver used to hang on the wall, before the couple added an extension
Hamilton is pictured aged 10 just before he moved into the Lugmayers' house in Stevenage
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But the Lugmayers are still not happy, with company boss Trevor telling MailOnline: 'Stevenage is a lovely place, it's charming and its full of lovely people.
'There is no way you could describe Stevenage as a slum. I can't believe he would say that.
'Stevenage has got all the amenities you could possibly want. It's safe and peaceful.'
His wife told The Times: 'I think he's got a bloody nerve. There's no way this is a slum area, no way. I am quite upset by what he said. Stevenage is quite nice actually.'
A blue plaque honouring the young racing driver used to hang on the wall, before the couple added an extension.
The plaque read: 'Lewis Hamilton Racing Driver lived here 1997-2001.'
Mr Lugmayer, who is an F1 fan himself and has followed Hamilton's career (he is pictured at the Abu Dhabi Grand Pix in November) closely, but is not so keen on him anymore
Mr Lugmayer, who is an F1 fan himself and has followed Hamilton's career closely, added: 'I don't know how he could describe this house as a 'slum'.
'When Hamilton lived here there were six bedrooms and four bathrooms.
'He lived here when he got his first contract with Mercedes. His dad Anthony built a garage to keep the car in. And when he made it he bought his dad the house next door.'
His wife added: 'We love living here. Our daughter and our five grandchildren live next door. It's quiet, peaceful, it's everything we want.
'Lewis Hamilton might have moved on but we are still getting post sent to him here. We got this magazine from Mercedes just the other day.
The sprawling six-bedroom home in Stevenage, Hertfordshire (pictured) has three bathrooms and a large drive and garden
'I sent him a message to say that we had some post for him but he didn't reply.'
Hamilton moved into the mansion in quiet, leafy Woodfield Road when he was 12 years old.
He had previously lived in a three-bedroom council house in Peartree Way, on the other side of Stevenage.
Mr Lugmayer added to The Times: 'Most people in Stevenage were Lewis Hamilton fans, but I am not so sure now.
'He used to be an ambassador for Stevenage and everybody loved him because of that, but talk about an own goal, he's really messed up here.'
Before he moved to the Lugmayers' current home, Hamilton lived in this three-bedroom council house on the other side of Stevenage
