VILLAGERS have blasted Herefordshire Council, claiming the authority has reneged on its promise over stone from a medieval building.

They say the council had promised to preserve the dressed stone from The Pound after its demolition and donate it to the village.

Locals wanted to use the stone from The Pound, which is believed to have been a look-out tower, to create a memorial garden on the site.

The council says the structure had to be demolished because it was unsafe and posed a danger to people.

Residents had asked for more time to investigate if The Pound could be repaired but agreed to the demolition after assurances the stone would be taken for storage on a farmer’s land.

Roger Davies chairman of the Linton and District History Society said: “Because of the way The Pound was demolished we will now never have any knowledge of its phases of construction.

“For a historic monument this is a tragedy, which could so easily have been avoided. We have also now lost all the building stone.

“This is without doubt a case of gross maladministration. It is now essential that lessons be learned.

“Alas, it is obviously too late for the Linton Pound but we cannot afford to lose Herefordshire’s heritage simply through a failure to understand what is at risk.

“A series of key broken promises made originally to placate and mitigate our many concerns, has left us in this position.

“It would appear that the old pound has been sacrificed without thought for its potential historic significance.”

A spokesperson for Herefordshire Council said: “We understand the disappointment felt by residents following the removal of the Linton Pound.

“While the structure was not listed or protected as an ancient monument, we recognise its significance as a cherished part of the community’s local heritage and we appreciate the efforts of the local historical society, who explored options to secure and preserve the site.

“Unfortunately, the Pound had become structurally unsafe and posed a serious risk to public safety, particularly to children who play in the area.

“During its removal it was found that the structure contained some hazardous materials such as rusty steel and broken glass, and these sections were removed from the site for safety.

“The remaining stone was placed in a nearby field as agreed. We hope this will offer an opportunity for the community to re-use the left-over stone to commemorate the site in a meaningful and safe way.”

A claim of gross maladministration has been lodged by Linton Parish Council.

South Herefordshire MP Jesse Norman said he had written to the council’s chief executive, Paul Walker, to establish who was responsible, what measures were taken to preserve the stone and what is being done to recover it.

The Pound was sited at a strategically important point on the junction of the old Newent-Ross road on top of a hill to a height of more than 25 feet.