This is the home you’re paying to repair.

Brighton and Hove City Council say they have been forced to pay £40,000 to repair a Grade II listed house in Brunswick Place, Hove, because the owner has left it in danger of falling down.

Cabinet member for the environment Geoffrey Theobald said the council had no choice but to pay out to protect the city’s heritage.

The council will then have to take the owner to court to try and claim back taxpayers’ cash spent on the emergency preservation work on 19 Brunswick Place, Hove.

Coun Theobald said: “The condition of the building is not only considered to be an eyesore but its long-term preservation is severely threatened. The owners have so far failed to give a commitment to carrying out the necessary works, estimated at a cost £32,000 to £39,000.

“The council will seek to recover the costs from the owners through the courts. It is hoped the action will send out a strong message to owners of historic buildings about their maintenance responsibilities.”

Ward councillor Paul Elgood said: “For a long period not this building has been left in a dangerous state.

“It has attracted squatters, dumped rubbish and drug taking, so I really welcome the fact that the council is acting at long last.

“Residents living near by have had a string of problems associated with this property.

“It is a shame it has come to this stage. It is in a really dire state.

“What really defies logic is that this building is worth a lot more than the cost of the repairs, but the owner has left it to fall apart.”

Emergency repair works will be carried out under Section 55 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said it was not the first time they had been forced in to save a listed building.

Last year the council was forced to step in and carryout repairs at an address in St George’s Place, Brighton.