HEREFORDSHIRE Council’s demolition of a village’s ancient monument, undertaken without sensitivity, has led to a claim of gross maladministration being lodged by Linton residents.

The Linton community are furious that Herefordshire Council has renegaded on its promise to preserve and donate the Pound’s dressed stone, to the village after its demolition.

Earlier this year the council posted notices of its intent to demolish the Pound, due to health and safety issues. But over 70 residents signed a petition requesting additional time so that an archaeological survey could be carried out to establish if the structure, believed to have originally been a mediaeval lookout tower, could be repaired economically.

However, the residents bowed to pressure from the council and reluctantly agreed to the Pound’s demolition after it assured residents that a sensitive demolition would be carried out along the lines of an archaeological dig, so as to document and record its history.

The council also agreed to remove the dressed stone and for it to be conveyed to an adjoining farmer’s field for later use as a memorial garden on the site of The Pound.

But only the rubble from the structure’s foundations was donated to the village. All traces of all the valuable dressed granite stone have now been ‘lost’.

Roger Davies, chairman of Linton and District History Society said that charge of maladministration was being escalated.

Mr Davies told the council: “It is very disappointing that no attempt has been made to reconcile the facts with what has occurred. The charge of gross maladministration remains fully justified.

“The removal of the dressed building stone is considered theft by all who are made aware of the facts.

“We never contended that the Pound was Saxon in origin, but its site almost certainly was.

“But now we shall now never know its origins, as the council totally and recklessly destroyed this historic building and left us with not one stone standing.”