A couple will be forced to shell out thousands of pounds in repairs after discovering an air raid shelter buried in their back garden.

Pauline Middleton and husband Bryan, moved into their new home in Brankin Drive, in the town, three months ago.

The homeowners spent the first two months carrying out a number of repairs to the bungalow and everything was going fine, until heavy flooding created a large pool of water in their garden.

After further investigation to find out why the water was not draining away the couple discovered all was not what it seemed.

Upon draining away the water and removing layers of rubble, concrete and asbestos the pair were shocked to discover a complete air raid shelter under the remains.

"We just could not believe it," said Mrs Middleton. "It has been absolutely horrendous.

"We had to get a pump to clear away the water, then we found the asbestos so had to call in environmental health.

"A builder came to clear away the rubble and that's when we discovered the shelter. We originally thought it was a car repair pit.

"It appears to be an air raid shelter that has been covered over. It has been a hell of a big job getting it sorted out. We did not know what to do."

The Middletons consulted their solicitor about the possibility of suing the previous tenant but were told it could be extremely costly.

The tenant contacted the couple's solicitor stating that she had not been aware of what was buried in the garden.

The family are now waiting to find out if their insurance company will pay out for the repairs.

Mrs Middleton said: "We do not know how much it will cost in total but we think it will be thousands of pounds.

"We are hoping that the insurance company will cover it but it could be while before we get the money.

"The site is now being worked on and we have managed to get rid of most of it and fill the hole in.

"We thought they would have removed air raid shelters after the war but it is just one of those things. Unfortunately it happened to us."