DOWNTON residents are up in arms after the firm redeveloping the old tannery erected "unsightly" containers for wheelie bins in front of the historic building.

The parish council has received several complaints from irate villagers, upset that Beechcroft Developments has put up the six-foot-high wooden structures.

"Everyone is aghast and can't understand it," said Rob Buckett, vice-chairman of Downton parish council.

"Everyone was very pleased with the conversion, but how on earth can someone put something so horrible up in a conservation area?"

The two fenced enclosures have been placed by the main entrance to the building, in an area that is to be landscaped.

Downton parish council's planning committee met last week and passed the complaints to Salisbury district council, which originally granted consent for the redevelopment of the Tannery.

Beechcroft have turned the old building into 12 two- and three-bedroom luxury apartments, which are on the market for between £247,500 and £282,500.

The building also has six one- and two-bedroom flats that are part-owned by the district council and Swaythling Housing Society as affordable housing.

Enforcement officers from Salisbury district council are now investigating the complaints and will decide whether they feel the containers can stay or should be moved.

Mr Buckett is hopeful Beechcroft will, in any case, co-operate and agree to move the bins.

"It is unsatisfactory and unacceptable to have them at the front of the building," he said.

"They have to be fairly close to the flats for them to be useable but there has been a lot of local objection to them.

"I'm not sure the planning office would have approved something as tall and ugly as that.

"It's terrible that they have done such a good job and then messed it up.

"We are asking them to resite the bins at the rear and the company has said it will try to reposition them."

If Beechcroft does not agree to move the enclosures, some villagers are suggesting getting up a petition to protest about the wheelie bins.

"If they say no, we shall try to embarrass them into moving them," said Mr Buckett.

Beechcroft was asked to comment but at the time of going to press had not provided a response.