SWINDON Council is considering buying a long-term derelict home in Covingham, which residents say poses a fire risk and lets down the area.

Residents say the semi-detached bungalow has been empty for up to 20 years and the back door is unsecured, so vandals could easily get inside.

Swindon Council says it has tried and failed numerous times to persuade the owner to sell the home or return it to use.

So it is now on a list of similar long-term problematic vacant properties under consideration for compulsory purchase by the council.

Resident David Ellison, 75, said the property had been vacant all the 11 years he had lived next door.

But other residents claimed it had been empty for about 20 years. He said the owner, a middle-aged man, thought to live in another Covingham property, still visited every six to nine months to pick up post.

He said residents would like the man to maintain the property, even if it was not occupied, and he would support a compulsory purchase.

The retired print worker said: “The back garden is absolutely terrible. “The building itself is falling apart – not the brickwork but all of the window frames and the interior. “There’s an extension on the back where there’s a hole in the roof and rain just pours in there. “Plants are growing inside the house, it’s unbelievable.

“The main issue I suppose most people would see first of all is the visual impact every time you pass it. “Also it must affect the value of the houses around there because it would put people off.

“There could easily be a fire there. People can get in there, the back door is open all the time because the door won’t shut within that frame.”

Coun Julian Price (Lab, Covingham and Dorcan), is pressing Swindon Council to use legal powers to either make a compulsory purchase order, or to clean up and provide maintenance to the property and then bill the landlord for the costs.

He said: “It is wrong to leave a perfectly suitable residential property empty, not just because it can lead to verminous creatures and can be a white elephant in a residential area. “But also there are so many people who would love to live in this accommodation so I think it’s morally wrong to leave a property permanently empty.”

A Swindon Council spokesman said: “The council’s public protection team have over recent years received a number of complaints from nearby residents about this vacant property.

“And in the past they have negotiated with the owner to ensure the property was secured and the garden cleared. “The owner has consistently shown no interest in refurbishing or re-occupying the house.

“More recently, the property again became insecure and the council took formal direct action to have the property re-secured at the council’s cost. “Following the most recent complaints, environmental health officers visited the property earlier this year and found it to be secure with no evidence of there being any issues with vermin despite the overgrown garden and unsightly appearance.

“The council has made numerous attempts to persuade the owner to sell the property or return it to use, without success. “As a result, the property is on a list of similar long-term problematic vacant properties under consideration for compulsory purchase, which is a costly and time-consuming process.

“The property is unlikely to be at the top of the list, however, as it is not currently hazardous and does not threaten public health.”