Man refuses to leave his derelict estate with 24 hour security and one neighbour
A man living on an abandoned estate is refusing to leave his property until authorities stump up more cash to buy him out.
Phill Campbell resides in St Helens, Merseyside surrounded by empty houses which are set to be demolished by a housing association.
However, the 70-year old homeowner and his neighbour say they won't budge unlike all the area's former tenants.
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Phill, whose house is infested with vermin, said his intention when purchasing the Union Street property 16 years ago was for it to be his last.
But now housing association Torus want to demolish his and the 60 other homes on the Gerard's Bridge estate on the grounds of "future sustainability" and "wider environmental issues".
Phill told the Liverpool Echo: "They first approached me about three years ago now. They said 'what would you say if we made an offer to buy your property?'
"Since then and now they've rehoused all of their tenants in this area. So there are two houses that remain occupied – there's myself, and the people two doors down. We both own our properties."
A year and a half after that initial approach Torus made Phill an offer of £81,000, which he rejected citing his opinion that it wouldn't be enough to cover the cost of buying a new house elsewhere.
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He has since sent a counter-off and would be willing to consider a house-swap, but no reply has been forthcoming, leaving him "living in limbo".
Phill added: "I'm not being unreasonable in anything I ask. I bought this house as a retirement property and I was prepared to spend the rest of my days here.
"The problem is I'm a pensioner, I'm 70 years old now, and I'm living in the middle of a demolition site and my kitchen is infested with vermin. I do feel isolated and quite vulnerable."
Torus, meanwhile, who recently sent someone to tackle Phill's rat problem, told the publication: "We appreciate that rats are an issue in the areas and continue to work with both our own and the Councils pest control teams to manage the situation."
It added that residents were asked to vote on the plans to demolish 61 houses on Union Street, College Street, Crab Street and Fox Place in July 2019, with 78 per cent of those that voted backing the demolition. Torus said the final decision to demolish them was made "following meaningful and extensive consultation with residents."
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