The neighbours of a council-owned Whitwick pub said they have been unable to sell their home as potential buyers are being put off by the 'eyesore' next door.

The Oak has been slated for demolition for years, with the land set to be redeveloped - but the property has been left to deteriorate instead.

Ann and Stephen Nicholson, 75 and 76 respectively, bought their home in School Lane in 2017.

Drone picture of derelict The Oak, Whitwick Credit: Stephen Nicholson

Mrs Nicholson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they were aware of the vacant Talbot Street pub when they agreed to the purchase - but had been told it would be redeveloped into new homes and they were 'happy' with that.

Seven years on, they are still living next to the crumbling building.

They claimed they have had several issues with squatters on the land, weeds climbing over and through their fence and rats getting into their garden.

They also wish to downsize, Mrs Nicholson said, but they have been unable to find a buyer with many viewers commenting on the state of the property next door.

Credit: Stephen Nicholson

The site was bought by North West Leicestershire District Council in 2021, with the couple saying they have spoken to the local authority numerous times over the years to try to get them to resolve the problems, but they remain ongoing.

The local authority has recently applied for permission to demolish The Oak which a spokesman for the council said was a step towards bringing the land back into use.

Mrs Nicholson said: "We've got rats coming through, they're burrowing under the fence and all of my plants, the plants that were there have been destroyed.

"We'll be sat in the conservatory and a rat will run along the fence or, at night time, we've got security lights, they'll come on and it's rats running along the fence. We've got grandkids and we've got a dog. It's a health issue."

She added keeping the weeds and brambles from coming into their garden is a constant battle to the point where there is a part of her which dreads going away on holiday because she knows how much work there will be when they get back two weeks later.

Credit: Stephen Nicholson

Mrs Nicholson continued: "[We have] a six foot fence and there are nettles coming over the top.

"I've spent a fortune on weed killer, but I can't I can't spray too much because I'll kill my own plants. It's coming through [the fence].

"I've tried to lean over, but I'm getting a bit old for doing all this. It's ridiculous. Down the side of the house, all the brambles are actually over the footpath, so people have to walk onto the road to get past."

She added: "It's just getting me down. I like my little garden. But what bit of garden we have got is absolutely surrounded [by weeds]. The fencing is surrounded."

Mrs Nicholson told us she and her husband decided to sell their home as they wanted to move to a bungalow.

They put it up for sale in October last year, but said they have not had many viewings.

She said: "The viewings we have had, they say: 'Oh, we're not happy about the pub. It might be used for multiple occupancy' or 'it looks like an eyesore'. It's stopping us from selling. We're thinking about taking it off the market now because it's just embarrassing.

"The day [the previous owner] told us that he sold it to the pub, he went up on the roof and removed a lot of the roof tiles, which are in view from our house. Since October 21, it's all been open to the elements.

"The ceilings have all dropped in and the view from our window is absolutely terrible. You see this roof with the tiles missing, boarded-up windows, trees growing outside. It's a mess. It's had squatters in the past."

When the council bought the pub, Mrs Nicholson said she made contact.

But, around three years later, she now feels she has just been "fobbed off and fobbed off".

She said: "[Council staff] were coming round and saying: 'Oh yeah, this is terrible and something needs to be done'. Then you'd wait a bit and then you think 'well, they haven't got back in touch with me'. So you'd email again and you get 'oh, they've left now'. That went on through six different people. They just fobbed us off and fobbed us off."

Ms Nicholson said they eventually put in a formal complaint over the problems, but still the issues persisted. The council did put up a security fence, she added, but this blew down and had to be replaced.

The LDRS asked North West Leicestershire District Council what it had done over the years to try to tackle the problems the couple say they have been having.

Photo: Coalville Nub News

We also asked what they would do going forward to ensure they did not continue. The local authority declined to answer the questions.

A spokesman said: "[We have] submitted an updated planning application to demolish the former Oak public house and outbuilding on the site at 27, Talbot Street, Whitwick. The pub has stood empty for many years and has become a health and safety concern and a public eyesore.

"This is an update to the application which was granted in 2021. We hope that following the demolition of the pub there will be a new development of much-needed affordable rented homes on the site."