THE owner of a Grade II listed pub has been told he has to fix it up – or face the council stepping in to do it for him and then leave him the bill.

Despite the order from bosses at Test Valley Borough Council, the Five Bells pub has been shut for the last five years.

It has led to the community group that has been fighting to keep the pub in a good a condition as possible to claim that they "aren't expecting any miracles".

Owner Graham Horder took over the pub in December of 2010, and it shut its doors in 2013.

According to the council, the condition of the pub, in Nether Wallop, near Stockbridge, has continued to deteriorate, leaving them to issue an Urgent Works Notice.

The repairs that Mr Horder has to oversee includes keeping the building weatherproof, safe from collapse, and to prevent vandalism or theft.

The pub is also within the Nether Wallop conservation area, and is in between other listed buildings in the village.

Planning portfolio holder, cllr Nick Adams-King said: "The pub is a great asset within the village and locals are keen to see it re-open. Unfortunately, the pub has fallen into a state of disrepair since closing.

"Given that this is a listed building, the council has stepped in and served the notice under the Listed Buildings Act to force the owner to carry out the work by 29 May to prevent any further deterioration.

"The pub is within the Nether Wallop conservation area, and is surrounded by a number of other listed buildings, so it is imperative that we work with the owner and local villagers to protect it."

A number of those local villagers are members of the Five Bells Community Hub Limited group, which has been fighting to see the pub reopen for the last few years.

Having learned of the new order on the pub, the group said: "We are delighted about the latest developments.

"We are not expecting any miracles, but it gets the ball rolling to hopefully seeing the pub back to what it used to be."

If the works aren't carried out by the owner before the deadline, the council say they will step in and do the repairs themselves. The authority added that it would then take steps to recover the costs.

Mr Horder didn't respond to a request for comment.