Barrow council boards up vandalism hotspot... at taxpayers' expense

Vandals as young as eight had been seen breaking into the former tax office in Barrow and using the building's windows as target practice.

Earlier this month, staff at Barrow Borough Council reported seeing youths damage and break into Furness House, by the Schneider Square roundabout, seven times in the past month.

The ground floor of the block is accessible via the rooftop car park which is visible by staff working in Barrow Town Hall.

Although the building is privately owned by London-based developer Denbrook Ltd, the council has been forced to cough up to board the lower floor windows to prevent future disorder.

Under environmental health legislation, the council has the power to carry out emergency works to secure a premises and send the bill to the building's owners.

The bill for the boarding will be forwarded to Denbrook which will be obliged to pay for the work.

A spokesman for Cumbria police said: "We are aware of issues at the old tax office at Furness House. The building is independently owned and currently insecure, which is leading to a number of young people gaining entry.

"We are working with partners, including the borough council, in an effort to find a solution to this issue, including looking at ways to prevent access to the site.

"While we continue to seek a solution, we would also urge parents to speak to their children if they suspect they are involved in illegally accessing this building.

"Attempting to gain access to this building is very unsafe and we would urge parents to warn their children of the dangers posed."

Back in 2011, Denbrook Ltd obtained planning permission to convert the building into a 64-bedroom hotel.

Approval for those plans was renewed in 2015 and is still in date. It is not known why the development has not started.

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