Urgent repairs and maintenance is to be carried out on the Borough Gardens House in Dorchester.

Town councillors have been told little has been done to the wooden windows of the property since it was extensively renovated with the help of a Lottery grant in 2005-07, at the time when the Borough Gardens were re-vamped.

A report to councillors said that some of the windows now appeared to be rotting in places and other work to the building might also be needed – including clearing the guttering which has grass growing in it, with several tiles thought to be missing from the roof.

The cost of the works, expected to take place in April and May, has been put at anything between £6,800 and £8,200 which includes hiring scaffolding.

Cllr Tony Lyall said he raised the issue a couple of years ago, but nothing happened.

"It amazes me we have done no maintenance at all…how can we leave it for 16 years and do nothing,?" he told the town council management committee.

Mayor Richard Biggs said he was also surprised there had been no pre-planned maintenance programme, although that will now be changed for future years.

The building has meeting rooms and a kitchen downstairs and a flat, which is rented out, on the second floor.