A PORCH built to offer protection against burglars will be demolished by a council.

Pendle Council has made the decision to take down a porch at a home in Barnoldswick after it was built without planning permission.

The porch was built after the home of Patricia and George Owen, 74, was burgled last September. It was thought the porch would help provide protection against a reoccurance.

After the porch was built, which cost £2,500 to erect, Pendle Council received a complaint from a neighbour about 'unlawful' building work in Taylor Street.

A retrospective planning application was submitted to the council but this was rejected on the grounds the house is in a conservation area, which means that any new building work has to be in keeping with the area.

Despite the owners appeal against the decision and more than 350 people signing a petition 'Save Our Porch', the Government’s planning inspector, Katie McDonald, has now made a final decision to knock down the porch.

She said: "The porch is unsympathetically prominent and does not reflect the history and development of the place and I find that the proposal is harmful to the character of the Conservation Area."

The owners said they are 'incredibly upset' with the local council's decision. The porch will be taken down on Tuesday.