RESIDENTS fighting the closure of a village pub are to take their case to the High Court.

The Save the White Horse campaign group has started preparing a High Court case to seek a judicial review against Darlington Borough Council's decision making processes.

Gill Cartwright, spokeswoman for the protest group, said: "Our legal team has reviewed case law from relevant cases and we feel we have a strong case against Darlington Borough Council, which will result in another victory for the people of Darlington."

The group has already forced the council to hold a parish referendum, the first in the town.

Villagers in Whessoe will go to the polls on Thursday, from 4pm to 9pm. They will be asked if they think it is a good idea to demolish the historic pub.

The referendum comes following the council's decision to grant planning permission for the pub to be demolished.

It will make way for 55 apartments.

But the authority said that the referendum would not be legally-binding, with the demolition laying in the hands of the developers.

Mrs Cartwright added: "The parish referendum on Thursday will send a clear message to Darlington Borough Council.

"The people of Darlington care passionately about their communities and do not wish to see developers destroy communities and make millions of pounds profit at the residents' expense."