VILLAGERS have won their battle to prevent a terrace of three small almshouses, built in the 1800s for poor people, from being converted into two larger properties.

Residents were delighted yesterday after trustees changed their minds and agreed to keep the homes at Romaldkirk, near Barnard Castle, in their present form.

Tom Vlaming, deputy chairman of Romaldkirk Parish Council, said: "We are all over the moon about this, because there is always a need for small houses for single people."

He led a campaign to have all three almshouses retained, and was pleased when a survey of 130 people showed that 99 per cent of them agreed with him.

Villagers also asked the trustees to arrange urgent repairs on the almshouses, and these have already started, with builders working to stop one of the roofs leaking.

The houses were built for six occupants - who had to be poor, single and aged over 60 - under the will of a wealthy landowner, William Hutchinson. The tenants were allowed to live rent-free for life.

They were doubled in size and reduced to three in 1962. The trustees, whose chairman is the Reverend Peter Midwood, rector of Romaldkirk, were given planning consent last year to convert them to two houses.

But Mr Vlaming said yesterday: "I felt that was wrong and just about everyone in the village agreed that it would be bad to lose one of the almshouses. The original idea was to help poorer people who live alone and that should be maintained."

A spokesman for the trustees said yesterday: "It was felt that two larger properties would be more useful, but after hearing all points of view the trustees decided unanimously to retain the three and arrange repairs."

Two of the houses are occupied by single men who pay a low rent. The other, which has been empty for some time, will be renovated first, and the others will be repaired in turn.