A DEAL to sell a former school site to housebuilders has collapsed.

The old Coulby Newham School was due to be bought by Harrom Homes for £4.5m.

However, the housebuilding firm ran into trouble getting planning permission to build houses on the site following strong opposition from residents.

Middlesbrough Council, which owns the site, is expected to withdraw from the deal later this week and demolish the school itself.

Some residents objected to the principle of building homes on the site while others raised concerns over the density of housing.

The school site was targeted by arsonists recently and the council said it was costing about £1,000 a week in security costs.

The council is now being asked to approve spending £350,000 on demolishing the existing school buildings and on remarketing the site.