VILLAGERS are preparing to knit a giant 'tea cosy' to cover up an unsightly BT street cabinet which recently appeared in front of a landmark building

Residents of Staindrop, near Barnard Castle, were dismayed to find engineers had installed the green “eyesore” in front of Scarth Hall.

They say it spoils the look of the building, which dates back to 1875, especially as they are currently involved in a bid to get £350,000 of Big Lottery Funding to refurbish it.

Village knitters, Joan Harrison and Sandra May met with Scarth Hall Memorial Hall Committee chairman, Morris Race, today (March 24) to discuss what they could do to camouflage it.

Mr Race said they plan to knit a picture of Scar Hall to create a ‘tea cosy’ for the broadband cabinet which was installed without the committee being told.

“We have spent a lot of money trying to give the hall curb appeal and have plans to reinstate the railings that were there before the war happened and then they go stick that in front of it,” he said.

“They just did not consult anybody before they put it in front of a nice old building like this.”

He added: “I was so angry when I saw it so I contacted councillor George Richardson and after looking into it he said there’s nothing we can do.”

Mrs Harrison, 76, said she had nearly walked into the box when it was first installed and branded it an “eyesore”.

“It stands out like a sore thumb and at first we thought it was a joke,” she said.

Mrs May, 67, added: “We hope to do something to camouflage it and make it more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.”

Mr Race hopes the knitted creation will be ready to install in the next few weeks.

Parish council chairman, David Reed, confirmed the council had not been informed about the cabinet's installation but said it had “to go somewhere”.

“People are complaining about broadband saying they are not getting it so some of these things we have got to put up with if you want to have it in the village,” he said.