A BUSINESSMAN staging a hunger strike against Clydesdalebank (CYBG) has had “tremendous support” from the people of Glasgow, from the homeless to local businessmen.

John Guidi, from Bothwell, pitched a tent outside the CYBG headquarters on St Vincent Place on Sunday and has not eaten since.

He is protesting against the banks handling of his business loan repayments which may result in the loss of his home.

Mr Guidi told our sister title the Evening Times he is “a desperate man, in a desperate place” and the strike is “starting to take its toll”.

He said: “It’s pretty hard, I’m quite tired and quite cold. I’m buoyed up by the support of the Glasgow people, that’s wonderful.

“But it’s really, really hard, it’s starting to take its toll on me.”

Now on his fourth day of protest, Mr Guidi appeared emotional and said he was “really moved” by the support from everyday people.

“I’ve had tremendous support from the people of Glasgow. It’s everyday people asking me about my story and when I tell them they tell me: ‘I’m really sorry to hear that and I hope you get some resolution’.

“Three o’clock in the morning last night I had two young men, very nice men, and they’re living on the streets and I tell them my story and they say to me; ‘I’m really sorry to hear it and I hope you’re going to be okay’.

“These are two men living on the streets of Glasgow, I was really moved when they did that,” he said.

He added a businessman his 60s approached him, “shook his hand and cried” because he had similar problems with his own bank.

The bank really failed me miserably,” he said.

Mr Guidi said CYBG have offered him a meeting with its chief executive in London which he hopes will take place on Friday. But, he said, his strike will carry on unless there is a resolution.

“The bank has been very kind to offer me some water and blankets and they said ‘can we get you anything else’ and I said yes, my house back,” he added.

With financial backing from CYBH Mr Guidi built a property portfolio of 150 houses in west Scotland. His loans were transferred to National Australia Bank and then sold to U.S. based Cerebus in 2014.  

In 2015, “after 12 years of never missing a payment”, his business was put into receivership by a debt collection agency linked to Cerebus - Promontoria Chestnut.

Mr Guidi has been fighting his case in court ever since.

“For 6 years I have been trying to negotiate with the bank, the bank really failed me miserably,” he said.

Clydesdale Bank (CYBG) told the Evening Times they’re “confident these historic complaints have been properly reviewed” and its decisions were subject to an independent review.

A spokesperson for CYBG said: "Clydesdale Bank has taken no action against Mr Guidi in relation to his house and other parties involved in this process are not acting on behalf of the Bank - however, we have offered Mr Guidi a meeting with our Chief Executive to discuss his case.

"We understand Mr Guidi's trustee in bankruptcy has put the court action in respect of his house on hold, pending the outcome of related court proceedings.

“With this in mind, for his safety and well-being, we strongly urge Mr Guidi not to continue with this extreme personal protests.”