COUNCIL officials are trying to find the owners of an eyesore pub so action can be taken to clean it up.

The derelict Swallows Nest, in Newstead, has become a target for vandals and arsonists after plans to transform it into a housing development stalled.

For several years residents have expressed fears that the building is dangerous.

And they say someone may be hurt unless action is taken.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has previously served enforcement notices to push owners into sorting the building out.

But action has stopped while the authority is unable to trace who currently owns the building.

In last month's Citizenship for Democracy Conference, children from Newstead Primary School used a question and answer session to ask councillors what they intended to do about the Swallows Nest.

And the pub's decline was again raised at a recent Police and Community Together meeting.

Councillor Roy Naylor, who was at both events, intends to raise the matter with the council's legal department again.

He added: "I am going to pursue it as far as it will go and I won't be happy until the dust is settling and it has been knocked down."

Councillor Adrian Knapper, below, portfolio holder for economic development and regeneration, said the city council was back on the case.

He said: "Any action the city council may already have taken about the Swallows Nest pub no longer applies because of a change of ownership.

"We are now seeking details of the current owners so that we can persuade them to improve the appearance of the area."

Residents were initially opposed to development plans, arguing that the building would be better as a community centre than more housing.

As it went into further decline they accepted that something needed to be done and planning permission was granted.

But three years on nothing has happened and residents say it remains a danger and an eyesore.

Val Nixon lives opposite the building, in Ufton Close, and said it is beyond repair and should be demolished. The 50-year-old added that she would like to see it replaced with a small housing development and cannot understand why it has taken so long for action to be taken.

She added: "We have had children and youths playing in and around it and on top of it."

Mrs Nixon added that residents whose homes backed on to the pub had also reported rats in their gardens.

Bill Harvey, chairman of Newstead Community Association, said he would like to see sheltered accommodation for elderly people created, which could free up larger family houses currently occupied in other parts of the estate.

He added: "The car park is a fly-tipping area and nobody seems to want to take responsibility for fencing the site off.

"It is a shame, because it is a nice building, but there are holes in the roof and it has been set on fire so many times it has gone beyond repair."