Historic address for £150 a month

The 10 tenants would share bathrooms and kitchens

One of Northampton's most historic buildings is to be rented out on the cheap to help protect it from vandals.

The 850-year-old Delapre Abbey - the site of the Battle of Northampton in 1460 - has stood empty and vulnerable to vandals for the past 12 years.

To help protect the Grade II listed building, its owners want 10 professional people to become tenants.

They would pay rent of just £150 a month for the basic conditions, which includes shared bathrooms and kitchens.

Work has been carried out to make the building habitable but the owners, Northampton Borough Council, have stressed the abbey has not had a full restoration.

Prospective tenants would also need to be single professionals aged between 21 and 40.

Cllr Michael Hill said: "They will keep an eye on the property and make sure that nothing goes wrong such as broken windows, electrical faults, leaks or what have you.

"The very fact that the building is being lived in and will have lights on at night will hopefully reduce the vandalism from which the building suffers."