A DERELICT pub which has been a constant target of vandalism in the Trimdons could be converted into three properties if developers get the go-ahead.

The Fox and Hounds, in Trimdon Village, has been taken over by new owners who want to refurbish and transform the vacant former public house into homes.

Kevin Jones, of Jones & Matthews Consultancy, has submitted the proposal to Durham County Council which includes the demolition of four, small ground-floor, flat-roofed extensions to the rear and a single brick outbuilding with asbestos sheet roofing.

Joint owner Ian Quinn said the pub, on Front Street, had been ransacked and was now a "death trap" as a result of vandalism which has left the property with smashed windows and graffiti inside.

He added that it had become an "eyesore" and "anything to enhance the village" would be beneficial.

The proposal would see the building retain its existing frontage with the reinstatement of an original doorway to create three separate “cottage effect properties”.

In planning documents, Mr Jones said: “It is no longer financially viable, or desirable for the local environment, for it to be operated as a public house.”

An overhaul would also involve the repair and redecoration of the external rough cast rendering and replacement of all windows.

Though in a conservation area, the applicant states every effort would be made to “retain the existing character of the building".