COUNTY Hall conservation officers have angered town councillors by washing their hands of Wellington’s biggest town centre eyesore and refusing to take any further action.

Court proceedings had been threatened late last year by Somerset Council over the deteriorating condition of the former E.J. Teare newsagent’s building in South Street after a window fell out.

The unitary authority’s own staff then boarded up the window to protect the public from broken glazing and served a section 215 untidy site notice requiring repairs to be carried out within a certain timeframe

However, a spokesperson told the Wellington Weekly now that the site was ‘considered to be safe’ no further action would be taken despite the empty shop being located in Wellington’s designated conservation area.

The spokesperson said: “It is for the owner to now to make on-going repairs.

“While Somerset Council designates conservation areas and maintains the street scene, etc, individual owners are responsible for their properties.”

Town councillors are to discuss the situation when their economic development committee next meets on August 14.

Wellington Mayor Cllr Janet Lloyd, who first raised the issue of the eyesore building with the former Somerset West and Taunton Council’s enforcement officers more than two years ago when she was a district councillor, expressed her surprise and disappointment at the decision.

Cllr Lloyd said: “How can the local authority which holds the responsibility for conservation areas do this?

“It is situated right in the middle of our conservation area at the town centre traffic lights and its condition stands out like a sore thumb to residents and visitors alike.

“I believe also the property is a listed building.

“A section 215 notice was issued for the property’s poor condition to be addressed, now Somerset Council have stated this notice is no longer in force and they seem to have washed their hands of the issue.

“Perhaps our new MP could be asked to take up the case for us both locally and nationally with the Government Department responsible for listed buildings and conservation areas, although he is probably a very busy man at the moment.”