Police are patrolling a derelict County Durham care home every day after people started breaking into the building again, writes Local Democracy Reporter Josh Nichol.
Officers say they have repeatedly tried to secure Feryemount House, in Ferryhill, but new ways into the building are often found by the following day.
Durham County Council is in the process of buying the former care home back after councillors agreed to the move in September, and says it will knock the ‘blight’ down.
Derek Robson, Durham County Council’s acting safer places manager, said: “We understand that after several years of delays and lack of progress from its developers, Feryemount House has become a blight on the town and a magnet for anti-social behaviour.
“That’s why we will be reacquiring the property and demolishing it to allow us to facilitate further development on the site, to regenerate the area.
“In the meantime, we have been working proactively with the police to make sure the building is secure until its demolition.”
It comes amid reports people had started getting into the boarded-up building again.
Ferryhill Police Sergeant Alisha Meldrum said: “My officers actively patrol this building daily to make sure it is secure, however unfortunately often when we repair an entry point the next day another appears.
“We are continuing to work closely with the council’s anti-social behaviour team to come up with a more permanent solution.”
Cllr Joe Quinn said he wanted to see the building re-secured and knocked down.
“It is unsafe,” he said.
“DCC is currently going through the process of repurchasing the building, we are in the hands of the legal system.
“I have contacted officers directly to get the building re-secured again. We will also look at enhanced security measures to help while we await the repurchasing of the building.”
Cllr Quinn also warned parents to make sure children know about the dangers of going inside.
“Parents should be having a word with their kids because the building has already had a big fire in there. It is not a safe building.
“It’s also clearly been secured with fencing, with signs saying don’t enter.”
Durham County Council agreed in September to buy Feryemount House back, five years after it was sold, with Cllr Quinn saying it would cost millions of pounds to refurbish the site and bring it back into use without demolishing it.
The former care home closed in 2014 and was later sold to developer Care Co Plus Ltd in 2021.
Since then, the building has continued to deteriorate and has been hit by vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
The council previously said it had spent almost £30,000 securing and maintaining the site.
Joshua Nichol
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
