RESIDENTS left with a hefty council tax bill in the wake of a parish council's legal battle over village allotments seem unlikely to get any help from the district authority.

Campbell Dawson, ward councillor for Barton, near Darlington, asked Richmondshire District Council if it would consider helping to soften the financial blow at a meeting on Tuesday.

But - although it supported the compulsory purchase of the land before an Government inspector ruled against the move - the authority decided it had no wish to be drawn further into the matter.

Barton has been split by the allotments wrangle since 1999, when the parish council decided to terminate the lease on the land.

A backlash from the gardeners prompted a number of councillors to resign from the village administration and the policy was subsequently reversed.

However, when the land-owner decided he was unwilling to consider a new lease agreement, a new-look parish council persuaded Richmondshire council to support a compulsory purchase order.

The landowner continued to resist and the row was referred to Government inspector Susan Holland, but she concluded there was no evidence of a real desire for allotment plots in the village and ruled against the compulsory purchase of the land.

As a result, the parish council has been landed with a £10,000 legal bill, which now seems certain to be shared by the community's 370 households over the next 12 months.