Hospital's houses in Wordsley up for sale

Former doctors' houses worth an estimated £1million to owners Dudley Group of Hospitals are going up for sale, it was confirmed today. The 12 houses in Ashdown Drive, Wordsley, have been empty for years.

The most recently lived-in ones were abandoned when Wordsley Hospital closed in 2005, but some have been empty for more than 30 years.

Repairs were carried out during the summer and four of the houses in the best condition were put on the market while work on the others continued.

Deals on all four are now near completion, and the remaining homes will be put up for sale in the new year.

Chief executive of the Dudley Group of Hospitals Paula Clark said: "Remedial upgrading work was carried out in the summer and four of the properties were put up for sale.

"Each of the properties has had offers made on them.

"The remaining eight properties will be put on the market in the near future."

The final selling price of the four houses could not be revealed, she added.

The homes and overgrown gardens had been targeted repeatedly by vandals and described as an "eyesore" by residents living nearby.

Ward councillor Geoffrey Southall said residents had complained about the state of the houses for years.

He said when he inspected the properties with residents earlier this year, they were so bad that tree saplings had started to grow through the floors.

"I should think the residents living nearby will be ecstatic to hear things are being improved," he said.

"The state of the houses was disgraceful. They were in a terrible state."