A run-down 18th-century house in Coventry, which has been repeatedly targeted by vandals, could be demolished - to protect those causing the damage.
Since Newlands House - a former nursing home owned by Coventry City Council, off Bennetts Road South, Keresley - was vacated in 1991, it has suffered ?immeasur-ably? from vandalism.
As a result, the building is now deemed dangerous.
The council is required by law to protect trespassers to see that they do not hurt themselves on local authority-owned land.
So it is now aiming to flatten the building, which was bought in 1952, to protect trespassers and also members of the emergency services responding to call-outs.
It is estimated that in the past two years, #16,000 has been spent dealing with both security of the site and repairing damage caused by vandals.
The house has been stripped of anything of value, such as fireplaces, wooden panelling, copper pipework and lead from the roof.
It would cost the city council about #50,000 to demolish the building, which was added to the Local List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest in 1991.
Members of the council?s regeneration and neighbourhood renewal committee were due to discuss the matter today.
A report ahead of the meeting states: ?During the height of the vandalism, the house was being targeted at least three times per week. As the vandalism grew, so did the severity of the attacks, which resulted in the security alarm itself being so damaged that it had to be removed and the electrics disconnected.
?The proposal will, regrettably, see this locally listed building demolished, leaving the city council with a cleared site with potential for redevelopment.?
The building was put up for sale in 1991, but attracted little interest.
In 1997, an application was submitted to use the premises as a rehabilitation centre for ex-offenders but was abandoned after an outcry from local residents.