The owner of an empty Brighton house has been ordered to take down scaffolding which has been kept up for a staggering 14 years. 

Neighbours of the three-bedroom property in Chester Terrace have been left bemused by the scaffolding as no visible work has actually been carried out.

Now they are hopeful a legal notice served by Brighton and Hove City Council will mean what is supposed to be a temporary structure will be taken down in the coming weeks.

The same property, at Chester Terrace, Brighton, hit the headlines last year when it was revealed it had been empty for more than 30 years.

Neighbour Max Glaskin said: “The scaffolding has been there for at least 14 years. I think the neighbours next door really are fed up.

“It's just sitting there not being used most of the time. In fact, 99% of its lifetime it has no one on it.

“I have no idea what work they were or are planning to carry out.

“I know a few years ago in Kemp Town, Brighton, they held a birthday party for scaffolding that had been up ten years.

“But I think here everyone will hold a party once it comes down.”

The scaffolding was still at the rear of the property when The Argus visited this week.

This was despite the local authority serving a planning notice on its owner, saying it should have been removed by Saturday.

There are also separate attempts to seize the property under a compulsory purchase order .

A council spokesman said: “We're aware of the deadline and are monitoring the situation very closely.”

Owner Christine Davies was ordered to pay £1,000 and given a 12-month conditional discharge in November after ignoring repeated requests from the council to tidy up the garden.

At the time, this was described as a final warning.

When the fine was issued, a local authority spokesman said: “Officers have spent a considerable amount of time trying to persuade the owner of this property to comply with the enforcement notice.”