A COURT has ordered that a dangerous building be repaired as it is at risk of collapse.

The owner of 41 Ainslie Street, Robert Clive Holden, appeared before Furness Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and was told repairs must be carried out. He was also ordered to pay costs of £1,251.60.

Mr Matthew Viner, prosecuting for Barrow Borough Council,  told how the issue had been going on for several years and Holden had been served with notices to complete the work.

He said: "The council visited the property on March 31 to see if the work had been carried out but it hadn't. This has been going on since 2014. It is a two-storey building. The first floor window has actually collapsed and there are other areas where bricks are missing and are in serious danger of collapsing. A prior Section 77 notice for the work to be done served last year has unfortunately been ignored by Mr Holden.

"This building is in serious risk of collapse."

Holden told the court that he was not opposed to doing the work or the order but said he was in a "no-win" situation.
He said: "There's lots of items on the list but only one with photographic evidence. If it was as  dangerous as it's claimed then wouldn't there be photographic evidence?

"The thing is I keep putting in planning permission for the building and it just keeps getting refused. I want to build an extension and half the work that needs doing would be completed doing this. 

"Otherwise I'll be doing the work and then having to do it again if I get planning permission. There is no point in doing it twice."

Magistrates told Holden, of Assheton Road, Blackburn, to carry out all the repairs by July 31.