AN exasperated couple have contacted their MP in an attempt to resolve a row with a council over windows fitted to their grade II-listed home.

Pete and Karen Wilson hope to meet Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson to discuss the way Darlington Borough Council handled their application to fit double glazing at their Georgian cottage in Heighington's West Green conservation area.

The couple applied for consent in 2005, but were told by officials that planning permission was not needed.

However, two years after they were fitted, the Wilsons received a letter from planners saying the double-glazed windows were illegal in a grade II-listed building.

It said they must be removed and replaced with wooden-framed single-glazed windows.

The couple said they challenged the council over the U-turn and it agreed to pay to replace the windows, ensure the work was finished to a good standard and reimburse them for time taken off work while the changes were carried out.

Mr and Mrs Wilson also insist the council promised to pay for any redecoration required in the seven affected rooms - including their living room, bathroom and bedrooms.

However, the couple say they have been left extremely unhappy with the end result.

Mr Wilson, a 45-year-old music technician, claimed that some of the new fitted windows are damaged, along with original rendering and plaster work.

"I just thought, this looks like a house that has been left for years in disrepair," he said.

The couple also say the council has told them it may not pay for redecoration costs and is disputing the amount due for time Mrs Wilson took off work without pay.

Mr Wilson said he and his wife, a 46-year-old nurse, can now hear the wind and feel draughts through the windows.

He said: "I am all for conservation and keeping the countryside traditional, but it can go a bit too far."

A council spokesman said: "We have arranged for a meeting with Mr Wilson to take place this week so we can discuss the issues he has raised and see what we can do to resolve them."