THE owner of a derelict home in Covingham has said he will put the house up for sale following an article in the Adver.

Neighbours said the semi-detached bungalow in Linnetsdene was a fire risk and let the area down, but now the house will be sold.

The owner has decided it is time to get rid of the property at auction and work has already begun to tidy it up before it is sold.

Swindon Council was considering a compulsory purchase order on the property, which had been left to fall into disrepair for up to 20 years.

Neighbour Peter Scott, 55, said: “It’ll be really nice to have someone living in it.

“If the house is given a bit of paint and some money spent it could look really good.

“It used to be the benchmark property in the close.

“Considering the house has not been lived in or had any work done for 20 years it’s in a fairly good shape.”

Peter has lived in the cul-de-sac for 30 years and says that he knows the owner, who is believed to still live in Covingham.

“He’s a nice guy who keeps himself to himself,” he said.

“I think he would be really upset if knew how people felt about everything.”

During the two decades the property has been empty the grass had grown several feet high, despite occasionally being tended to by neighbours.

And the garden has become home to a family of foxes.

In preparation for the sale, the owner has started to empty the bungalow, which was built in the 1960s, and has carried out a small amount of work.

Coun Julian Price (Lab, Covingham and Dorcan) had previously called for action to be taken on the property which he said was a white elephant in the area.

He said: “I’m really happy the owner has decided to sell the property. This is a problem which has gone on for a long time so it is nice to have a positive conclusion.

“Hopefully, the new owners will come in and make it habitable once more.

“The garden has been cut and some of the old furniture has been moved out.”

Coun Price said an article published in the Adver on the issue was the incentive the owner needed to sell the property.

He said: “This will be a huge relief to those residents neighbouring the property who have had to endure for more than a decade this house being left derelict and being an eyesore to the local community.

“I would like to thank the Adver for assisting me in highlighting the problems caused by this derelict building.”

The owner was not available for comment.