A BUILDING described by locals as an eyesore will soon be no more.

The last of the Naafi buildings in Wroughton will be flattened once work at Thorney Park has been completed.

The former Ministry of Defence building had been used as a shop for RAF personnel who lived in the surrounding area.

It was sold about 12 years ago to James Butcher Housing Association,along with 55 houses, which had been used to house mainly RAF personnel.

The MOD employees who lived in the area had used it as a local shop.

Mike Ash, deputy director of housing at Swindon Council, said that the MOD could have kept it open and subsidised the shop but as a business it wasn't viable.

He said: "It was quite an eyesore and was becoming a hazard to people living in the area.

"A lot of young children played near the site and it was potentially unsafe for them.

"All the residents we have spoken to welcomed the decision to level the shop. There has been a lot of investment in some of the houses.

"Many have had new boilers, new kitchens and bathrooms.

"A lot of investment has gone in so we needed to do something about the NAAFI building which was just in a state of disrepair."

Caroline Tiller, executive director of James Butcher Housing Association, also agreed that the response from local residents had been extremely positive and that they were pleased that the structure was being razed to the ground.

She said: "There was always the chance the children would want to play on the site, go exploring and things like that which could be a problem.

"There have also been problems with vandalism, things like broken windows and graffiti.

"The site is going to be landscaped over and just left as an open space, as a playing area for kids for the moment."