A demolition team will be moving in to pull down an old auction mart building long considered to be a huge "eyesore" by townsfolk.

Wigton-based Hopes Auction Company has been given the go-ahead to demolish their old town centre site which has largely laid empty since the firm moved to new headquarters in Syke Road in 2013.

The future of the site however, remains up in the air.

Hopes told Allerdale Council during the application process that they plan to get rid of the site so it can be redeveloped, although no more details about potential suitors have been revealed.

The prime town centre site had been earmarked for a new Tesco store but the retail giant performed a U-turn in late 2014.

Executives at the firm, which is tackling multi-million pound debts, revealed last year they were talking to a major supermarket chain about taking over the old auction.

However, they have yet to publicly say whether a deal has been struck.

In a statement provided to the council, a Hopes spokesman wrote: "The auction company are looking to sell the site for some type of other development and to assist with the marketing of the site it has been decided to demolish the existing buildings.

"In addition the removal of the derelict buildings will also reduce the risk of injury to anybody trespassing on the property and will generally enhance the surrounding areas."

The planning permission to knock down old auction adds to the previous go-ahead to flatten the attached Stocksman pub. It has also been empty since Hopes moved and was the victim of an arson attack in December 2015.

It left the building in a "dangerous" state, according to the council who approved its demolition a few months later although it has yet to be knocked down.

The news about the demolition will please many residents in the town who've long called for action over the dilapidated site.

Lord Roger Liddle, who represents Wigton on Cumbria County Council, has been keeping a close eye on the situation.

"It wasn't just an eyesore but a hazard," he told The Cumberland News .

"The key thing is what happens to the site now. The demolition is obviously a positive step."

However, Lord Liddle believes that the site would be better used for housing, rather than the rumoured new supermarket.

He added: "My view is that it's an ideal housing site near the town centre, perfect for older people who maybe find it difficult driving and is close to the shops.

"I would like Allerdale Council to be promoting this using their planning powers. It's a much better site for housing than many of the others that are in the works and there are campaigns about."

Wigton town council wrote to Allerdale to offer their support for the scheme.

Mayor Mike Bryceson said: "It's good news. [In it's current state] it's asking for trouble, it needs pulled down and now they've got the go-ahead the sooner the better."

In Allerdale's Local Plan document, setting out preferred sites for housing and business developments, the Hopes town centre site was listed for potential mixed use.

If houses were built there it would add to the growing number of developments in the town.

But a group set up to oppose the amount of houses - and where they're being built - is continuing its fight.

The Wigton Residents Group has spent the last few months working on a number of plans to highlight the problems they believe would be caused by the impending house building surge in the town.

Their formation in October was prompted by plans submitted by Story Contracting for 50 homes in Lowmoor Road with Persimmon Homes eyeing up land next door for 200 houses. Concerns have also been raised about a host of other developments that had been mooted over the last couple of years.

A number of public meetings have been held about how to tackle the plans and the residents group pitched creating a "neighbourhood plan" to Wigton town council.

Allerdale Council, who are responsible for planning and giving permission for building houses, have meanwhile been consulting on the second phase of their local plan.

At town council meeting last year, councillors told the residents group they would prefer to wait until the Allerdale plan was announced before deciding on what to do.

Don Cooper, from the residents group, said: "We've had a further response from the town council. They said to wait, to hold off until Allerdale Council have sorted out their local plan.

"We are considering our response."

Mr Cooper added: "We are continuing looking at the amount of houses that are being built and engaging with Allerdale officers.

"The town isn't doing terribly well at the moment and there are more empty shops than there have been for a while. The whole things needs looked at."

The updates were discussed at a meeting of the group a couple of weeks ago. Future meetings are planned.

The group has previously said it isn't opposed to more housing being built in Wigton but has questioned the location of some of the sites and whether the town's infrastructure, such as roads and school places, can cope with the influx of people, hence their objections.