Latest news with #Horden
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Sunderland hero Tommy Watson caught in on-air X-rated TV blunder after sealing Premier League return in dramatic play-off final in his final game for the club
Homegrown hero Tommy Watson couldn't control his emotions after sending Sunderland into the Premier League on his final appearance for the club. Nobody blamed the 19-year-old substitute – who is joining Brighton this summer – for swearing on live television after his 95th-minute winner ended The Black Cats eight-year exile from the top flight. 'I can't really put it into words to be honest. Look around, it's f***ing unbelievable,' he said as 40,000 Sunderland fans produced an ear-splitting noise at Wembley at the full-time whistle. 'This story was written when I came off the bench. I've been thinking about it for weeks and couldn't have pictured it any better – I think my celebration said it all.' 'I got closed down and saw a little gap. I've just used the defender and straight in the bottom corner.' Watson was born in the former mining village of Horden 12 miles south of Sunderland and ripped off his shirt in jubilation when his £220million goal hit the back of the net. Ironically, his £10million move to the south coast means next season he will be playing against the team-mates he's just helped win promotion. 'We'll see each other in the Premier League next year. In the big time,' he added. Former Mackems Peter Reid, Niall Quinn and Jordan Henderson were at Wembley to see Tyrese Campbell open the scoring for Sheffield United. Referee Chris Kavanagh then ruled out a second Blades goal after being asked to check his monitor by VAR - Vini Souza judged to have interfered with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson from an offside position. Eliezer Mayenda levelled for Sunderland after 75 minutes before Watson completed the comeback by pouncing on a loose touch from Sheffield striker Kiefer Moore. Manager Regis Le Bris, whose side also beat Coventry in the semi-final with an injury-time winner from Dan Ballard, admitted: 'It was a weird game. We didn't start well, maybe we were a bit nervous. 'The games represented the way we have played this season with resilience and discipline. We have talented players, so we can score.' Beaten manager Chris Wilder questioned the use of VAR for the final having not been part of the regular Championship season. 'I have been consistent Having played 46 league games and two play-off games, all of a sudden VAR comes into play. It is a subjective decision, and I don't think their goalkeeper would have got anywhere near the shot.' he said. 'If we go 2-0 up, I think that really punctures them and we win the game comfortably. The play-offs final throws up these stories, a local lad on his way to Brighton scores the winner. It will take quite a bit of time to get over it but you have to put teams to bed.' Sunderland have been the best-supported club in the EFL this season and their average home attendance of 40,000 is bettered by only eight Premier League teams. Captain Dan Neil said: 'This whole city has come together. That's what Sunderland football club is - it resonates with all the people. It's a powerful thing. 'For it to end with a last-minute winner in the semi-final (against Coventry) and then today, it's not even what dreams are made of because you wouldn't dream of something like that. Sheffield United have never gone through the nine play-offs they've participated in and their only victory at Wembley remains a hundred years ago when they won the FA Cup in 1925.
The Sun
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Britain's CHEAPEST house boasting three bedrooms in popular seaside village could be yours for just £1
A THREE-bed family home has hit the market and could be yours for only £1. The property in Horden, County Durham, comes with a jaw-dropping reserve price but its future homeowners may need to get their hands dirty. An online advert describes the terrace as being in need for refurbishment and renovation throughout but it could be the ideal bargain for investors. Pictures taken from the outside show it looking run down while the windows have been boarded up for security reasons. A former shop next door also appears boarded up and abandoned. But the property is close to Sunderland and is less than a 30-minute drive from Durham city centre. The sale is set to be part of a regeneration project in the area which aims to eventually replace the terraced houses with modern housing. The house will be auctioned with house hunters possibly able to grab the deal of the century. Third Street is one of a number of residential terraces which were originally built for miners based at the nearby colliery. The property is set to go under the hammer later this month with William H Brown auctioneers. The auction will go live on Tuesday May 20 with bids accepted online, via telephone or in person at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London. The online listing for the property reads: "A mid terrace property set within an area earmarked for regeneration within the Horden Masterplan, which was signed off in September 2024, further details can be found online and Durham County Council. "The property currently requires a full scheme of refurbishment and modernisation and offers the potential to provide four bedrooms with accommodation over three floors. "The current owner has also drawn up some plans to show the possibility to create two self-contained apartments, 1 X one bedroom & 1 X two bedroom. Both, subject to necessary consents being approved, but shows the potential for an excellent return. "These have not been submitted or approved and are to be used for guidance purposes only. "The property is situated close to the centre of Horden, close to local amenities, schools and bus routes to Peterlee, Sunderland, and the surrounding districts. Horden is located between the centres of Hartlepool and Sunderland and gives good access to the A19 trunk road." No internal viewings of the property are on offer and buyers will have to bid on what they can see from outside or in pictures. William H Brown were contacted for comment.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Last residents standing on ghost street full of boarded up terraces REFUSE to sell £70k homes despite council bulldozers closing in
Furious residents living on an 'eyesore' ghost street earmarked for demolition vowed they would 'rather be shot' than give up their beloved homes. Council bulldozers are closing in on Third Street, in the former mining village of Horden, Co Durham, as part of a £6m masterplan to raze its 123-year-old terraces and replace them with modern housing. But the last remaining locals still living on the semi-derelict street - where many of their neighbours' homes are now crudely boarded up - have vowed to fight council attempts to acquire their homes. They have accused town hall officials of 'strong-arm tactics' and 'cheeky' low-ball offers as they fight to protect the homes their families have cherished for decades. Among those refusing to sell up are Moira Bellingham, 65, and her brother Ray, 67, siblings who have lived in their home for 59 years. Surrounding by decades of family possessions, Moira said: 'They would literally need to kill me to get me out of this house. 'I've spent my whole life here and the memories I have are priceless. The council think they can just force us out, but they'll have to drag me out of here. Shoot me, if they have to. That's how much this place means to us. 'It sounds a bit drastic but that's the way we feel. 'Even if they offered half a million, it wouldn't make a difference. We're not selling. This is our home, and I'm going to spend my last days here. They'll have to carry me out in a box before I leave.' Durham County Council plans to demolish around 80 houses - around half of which are empty - to rebuild the street 'as a catalyst for the regeneration of the wider area'. Homeowners have been made offers to sell up - and warned that if they refuse, the council will go to court to forcibly acquire them through so-called compulsory purchase orders. Ray, who was nine when his parents bought their house on Third Street, said the council had offered half of the £70,000 value of his home. The average UK house price is £270,867. He said: 'You get your £30,000 and what do you do? You can't buy another house for that. I'm almost 68, I can't get a mortgage. 'The council needs to realise what 59 years of us living in this house means to us. You can't put a price on that. They could offer us £500,000 and we still wouldn't take it. 'People should have a right to stay in their homes if that is what they want. 'But the council are tightening the thumbscrews. They make the derelict buildings look deliberately derelict. They drive the area down, the standards down, and they just force people out by applied pressure. 'All the homeowners left in the street have made it clear they're not selling. 'We might not be successful but we won't give up without a fight. 'It doesn't make any sense, there's a lot of history in these houses. They were built in 1902 and they're as solid. You can feel the history in every brick. 'They want to tear them down and stick up a cheap new build that won't last for half as long.' Third Street sits among Horden's historical 'numbered streets' built at the turn of the 20th century as pit homes for miners working at the nearby colliery. However, the town's fortunes suffered when the coal mine shut in 1987 with the neighbouring homes becoming a magnet for anti-social behaviour. Now many properties on the numbered streets are long-abandoned and plastered with fake windows and doors to deter intruders. The council says that flattening the street will enable it to build fit-for-purpose modern housing that will attract families to the area. Those renting have been sent letters by the local authority offering them £1,000 to provide the name of their landlord so acquisition discussions can begin. Chef Eva Halili, 41, says she has no intention of passing over her landlords details - despite neighbouring a boarded-up home. The mother-of-two moved from London with her children, aged 18 and 12, where she pays £700 rent for a deceptively large terraced home - having paid £2,200 each month for a small home in the capital. She said: 'We've been offered £1,000 if we tell the council who our landlords are, so they can negotiate with them. But there's no way I'm willing to do that. They're using bribery tactics to try and get us out. 'It's very wrong. There are people who have lived here for 60 years, it's their family home. I moved here from London and I planned on this being a forever home. I love it here - we're right by the beach and my kids love it. I spoke to my landlord and he promised me he has no intention of selling. 'They just need to renovate the empty houses, a refresh. Why should I move and all the other people move out for them to come in with the bulldozers and build more expensive houses for other people to live in? It's just not fair.' Frank Whittaker, 53, is among Third Street residents coming together the fight council plans at community group meetings. He bought his end-terrace home five years ago for around £60,000 and spent a further than £30,000 on renovations - including a modern kitchen and a tiled jacuzzi bathroom. He faces making a loss of more than half that amount. Mr Whittaker said: 'I've spent a fortune fixing it up - new heating, electric, a proper roof, everything - because I plan to stay here for life. 'Now they're coming in saying they'll offer between £32,000 and £38,000 for homes around here. I've spent £30,000 on doing up my house, and I know it's worth far more. 'If the were genuine, then they'd offer us fair amounts. If I'm left with £30,000 I can't afford to buy another house. 'This isn't just about money. There are families here who've invested their lives in these homes. The council acts like the area is a wasteland, but we have a community – people who don't want to leave, who've spent years building their lives here.' 'They're trying to make the place look abandoned. They board up empty houses with ugly sheets, making it seem derelict. It's a tactic to scare people into selling. It's total intimidation, but we're not falling for it. 'They know we're not just going to roll over. We have a right to our homes and our community.' Many landlords have abandoned Third Street, taking council cash to sell up and move on instead of watching the value of their investments fall. One derelict house goes to auction this month with a starting price of £1 - though the estate agency listing warns of a 'potential compulsory purchase order'. Gloria Graveson, 78, has been offered £30,000 by the council for her three-bed terraced home, and is reluctantly accepting the deal following the recent death of her husband. She said: 'My husband always refused to move. There was no way he would consider it. We'd been here for 50 years. 'But now it's just me on my own, I can't manage in a house this big. 'I'm selling to the council but I'm not getting much - £30,000. I just spent £10,000 on a new roof. 'People who take the money - they can't afford to buy somewhere else. They can't get a mortgage. So they'll have to find money to rent instead.' The community garden in Horden, a small allotment space in between a cluster of homes, also faces being closed down. Gardener Martin Copeland, 63, said volunteers are in limbo about where they will be moved to, and when. He said he admired residents for standing up their homes but feared it was 'too late'. Mr Copeland said: 'The whole street is deteriorating because all the landlords have sold up and moved on. 'Other landlords are selling off their houses for as little as a pound. 'No-one will get full value for them because the council has killed the area. No-one else would want to buy them so the council reckon they can pick them up for next to nothing. 'The council should offer the residents an alternative property of equal value. That would be the fair thing to do. The council want to empty as many properties as they can until the last man's standing and he's got nowhere to turn. 'It's sad but all it's all stacked against the residents.' Under Durham council's masterplan, town hall officials also want to acquire 58 neighbouring homes in Fifth Street to build a new housing estate. The council, now controlled by Reform UK, hopes demolition work could begin by 2026. Michael Kelleher, head of planning and housing at Durham County Council, said: 'The Horden Masterplan has been subject to extensive consultation with residents and has received strong support. 'The aim is to regenerate the village and improve life for local people by tackling issues such as the high number of empty homes in the Numbered Streets, while supporting those with housing needs and enhancing community facilities. 'The acquisition of properties in Third and Fifth Street would pave the way for new council housing that will be truly affordable, alongside the provision of market housing. 'We understand this is an unsettling time, and we are working closely with residents to negotiate the purchase of these properties. 'We are also speaking to both owner occupiers and tenants to identify their housing needs and to support them to find suitable alternative accommodation. 'We have appointed an independent firm to undertake property valuations in line with the RICS Red Book Valuation approach, which is widely recognised as a standard approach to valuation. 'Tpas, a tenant engagement specialist, has also been appointed to provide residents with additional advice and support. 'We are also developing a planning application for demolition and replacement housing in the Numbered Streets Third and Fifth Street area that we are hoping to share with local residents in the coming weeks, with a view to considering any feedback and submitting a proposal later this year.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The bargain three-bed County Durham home that could be yours for just £1
This three-bedroom house could be yours for only £1. A County Durham home is set to go on auction with a guide price of just a quid. It means the home could be snapped up for less than the cost of an average loaf of bread, which stood at £1.40 in January, or using spare change found down the back of the sofa. The three-bed property in Horden comes with a loft room, rear yard and open plan living area. In need of renovation throughout, the mid-terrace on Third Street could be a perfect investment opportunity or rung onto the property ladder for a buyer willing to take on a project. An online listing says there will be no viewings inside and the home is currently boarded up. There are also no pictures of its condition inside. It is said to need 'renovation and refurbishment throughout'. The online auction takes place on May 20, 2025. The full listing reads: 'A mid terrace property set within an area earmarked for regeneration within the Horden Masterplan, which was signed off in September 2024. 'The property currently requires a full scheme of refurbishment and modernisation and offers the potential to provide four bedrooms with accommodation over three floors. Read next: Five plead not guilty to the alleged the murder of Stanley grandad Barry Dawson Who are the two ex-best pals convicted of cutting down the iconic Sycamore Gap tree? Non-league record breaking goal legend tells his story & reveals transfer truth lick here to join our WhatsApp community and get breaking news updates direct to your phone. 'The current owner has also drawn up some plans to show the possibility to create two self-contained apartments, one one-bedroom and one two-bedroom. Both, subject to necessary consents being approved, but shows the potential for an excellent return. These have not been submitted or approved and are to be used for guidance purposes only. 'The property is situated close to the centre of Horden, close to local amenities, schools and bus routes to Peterlee, Sunderland, and the surrounding districts. Horden is located between the centres of Hartlepool and Sunderland and gives good access to the A19 trunk road." As with any auction property, any potential buyers are encouraged to read the small print online and contact the auctioneers for the legal pack. Further enquiries can be made on the William H Brown website.
