Residents call for burnt-out care home to be fixed
BBCResidents have called for a fire-hit care home which has been left crumbling for two years to be repaired.
The Stanton Lodge home on Milfield Avenue, in Shiremoor, was engulfed in flames on 18 June 2024, but despite initial arrests no further police action was taken.
Resident Mike Leslie said the situation was "massively frustrating" and he cannot believe nothing has been done about the "eyesore".
North Tyneside Council's director of housing and property services, Peter Mennell, said the authority continued to monitor the property's security arrangements and was in contact with the owner to find a long-term solution.
He said: "Although the council is not the owner of the site, we remain in regular contact with those responsible and are committed to working with them to find a suitable long-term solution."
Residents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service when there were strong winds burnt debris was "blown all over the place".
William Brown, who has lived on a nearby street for 30 years, said: "On a windy day you get muck blown in."
Fellow resident Susan McGough, 72, said it was horrific on the night of the fire.
She said: "I just think it is disgusting and something needs to be done about it.
"It makes you feel ashamed to be in Shiremoor to be honest, the building itself before it was turned into a home was a lovely library."
'Kids going in'
Leslie said in recent weeks children had been seen entering the site.
"Lately there have been lots of kids going in," he said.
"Over the last couple of weeks it's been almost every other night, it was quiet for a while."
Mendell added: "We continue to closely monitor the security arrangements at the site to ensure it remains secure and that the safety of local residents is protected."