A BUSINESSMAN has been ordered to move a trailer which planning officers claim has turned a village centre into an eyesore.

Brent Stephenson has been given two weeks by Teesdale District Council to shift a trailer from land near Central Buildings, in Staindrop, County Durham.

Mr Stephenson was tracked down to Skipton, North Yorkshire, where an enforcement notice was served on him to move the trailer, which has been parked in the centre of the village for almost a year.

In June, his application to turn part of the listed Central Buildings, which he owns, into an antiques centre was rejected by councillors.

Members heeded the advice of the planning officer's report, which said full details had still not been provided of the intended work on the site.

It also described the trailer as an eyesore, with the building surrounded by debris.

Mr Stephenson had intended to use it for storage.

Ken Hughes, head of planning at Teesdale council, said: "We have had a number of complaints.

"We have, however, had some difficulty in locating the person who submitted the application and we needed to serve the enforcement notice on that person, so it has taken longer than we intended."

Mr Stephenson, who used to live in the village, has a month to appeal. He was not available for comment last night.