DEFIANT residents have vowed to stay in their homes despite plans to demolish hundreds of houses.

People who live in the Whitehill estate in Pelton Fell, near Chester-le-Street, say they have lived there for years and spent a lot of money improving their homes since buying them from Chester-le-Street District Council.

The Nomad Housing Group has submitted a planning application to the local authority to knock down empty houses in Whitehill Crescent and Byron Avenue.

Nomad wants to build 260 homes once the estate has been cleared, in a scheme involving the council, Bellway and Durham Miners' Association.

But householders feel they are being unfairly pushed out of their homes and are not being offered a fair price or compensated for the stress of relocating.

Fifteen residents have formed Pelton Fell Homeowners and pledged to oppose the development.

Spokesman Norman Dover said: "We are going to stay put and show that we have the zeal to fight."

Nomad deputy chief executive Ian Prescott has written to the residents, saying the firm wants to resolve the dispute by arranging visits to begin the valuation process.

Mr Prescott also said five vacant blocks were likely to be demolished this summer "to reduce the opportunity for vandalism and anti-social-behaviour on the estate".

The consortium expects demolition to start in July, pending planning approval, to be decided by Chester-le-Street District Council.