Middlesbrough Council names wrong pub on eyesore list

A man who spent £100,000 renovating a pub said he was outraged to see it erroneously listed as an eyesore by a council.

The Market Tavern in North Ormesby was named on a list of 11 run down sites Middlesbrough Council is proposing to buy.

But the council has now admitted it listed the wrong pub and instead meant to include the nearby Crown and Mitre.

Market Tavern owner Derek Hetherington said: "I'm still in shock about it."

The 54-year-old told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "To call it an eyesore is absolutely ridiculous - the building looks beautiful. 

"When we first bought it it was totally wrecked.

"I've spent thousands on the front of this building and it looks absolutely mint."

Derelict sites including the old Marton Country Club and the former Wee Willie Pub, in Evesham Road, are on an early roster of run-down landmarks Middlesbrough Council is hoping to redevelop.

The council's executive will vote on a plan next week which aims to use voluntary agreements and compulsory purchase orders to snap up dilapidated sites.

A council spokesman apologised and said the Market Tavern was "included in error" which will be corrected at the meeting on Tuesday.

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