A KEEN local historian and amateur legal eagle is counting the cost of fighting to save the heritage of Middlesbrough town centre.

Peter Judge was left facing legal costs of £6,280 following a two-hour hearing at the High Court in London which threw out his objection to the removal of a statue.

The 68-year-old, of Murray Street, Hartlepool, was taking on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in his battle to keep the memorial in its original place.

Mr Judge criticised Middlesbrough Council's plans to move the Grade II-listed statue and he believes the backing from the ODPM was incorrect.

But he has still not given up hope of having the council prosecuted for dismantling a listed building without consent.

He said: "It was all over at the High Court in two hours, but that is not the end of the story. The council has still got to answer for dismantling the statue without permission from English Heritage."

Mr Justice Sullivan, one of the country's top planning judges, presided over the hearing.

Throwing the application out of court, Judge Sullivan said: "I am satisfied that all of the grounds of challenge are wholly misconceived and it follows that this application must be dismissed."

The statue, which has already been removed, was built in honour of Sir Samuel Sadler, who played a key role in the development of Middlesbrough.

Council chiefs decided to move the statue, a plinth and small wall as part of the Victoria Square revamp, together with the construction of the new art gallery, MIMA, the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art.

The plan is to relocate the statue to the south of the square when the work is completed, but Mr Judge believes the decision to move the statue disconnects it from the original landscape of the town.

He said: "People think that they can move statues about and manufacture museums. These people need to understand the architecture and history of the town when things were put in place."

In a separate court case, Mr Judge is attempting to prosecute Middlesbrough Council for removing the Sadler statue without consent from English Heritage, which looks after the interests of listed buildings.

The hearing is expected to take place on May 23, at Teesside Magistrates' Court.