Builder defends building a house - around a lamppost

A builder forced to build a house around a lamppost has hit back at critics who slammed his bright idea.

Dave Green's hand was forced after noticing the light was set back further than all the others in Whiteacre Road, Ashton-under-Lyne.

The lamppost was right where the fascias were set to go, so he built the house anyway and sealed it into the roof tiles.

After a photo of the house was shared on social media, one wag quipped: "The cost of street lighting going through the roof!"

A resident in the street - where houses sell for between £85,000 and £150,00 - said: "It does look odd. To me, it's the council's fault. They've approved the plans knowing the lamp post was there."

But experienced builder Dave, 52, insists it's a temporary measure until the council remove the lamppost and reinstall in line with the others.

He said: "I said to the owner at the beginning, we need to move the lamp post.

"Everything runs level with the pavement on that road, all the houses are level, I can't move that one back.

"I've built it how it is set out in the drawings, that end house is nearly finished, we've got the plasterers in and they're nearly done.

"We had to seal it and make it secure otherwise it would have been damp.

"The fascias are pinned in, there's no soffits underneath and we've sealed it or we'd have just held the job up three months.

"It'll be a case of moving a couple of tiles, letting the council remove the lamppost, then we can patch it up and fit the soffits."

A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “We have spoken to the developer and they have agreed to remove the lamppost and replace it nearer a neighbouring boundary wall.”