The owners of the Villiers Square eyesore have completed the work demanded by Douglas Council.

Councillor Ritchie McNicholl said the work had included the removal of weeds within the area and a new coat of paint to the hoardings that surround it.

However, he told Douglas Council that he still wanted to see more done to improve the prominent promenade site, which borders Regent Street.

Mr McNicholl said: ’The owners have actually done more work than was asked of them. However, it is not perfect and people can still see into the site from hotels, the upper deck of buses and offices.’

Mr McNicholl added that the acrylic covers over the gaps in the hoardings could not be filled in by wood as the gaps decreased the chance of the hoardings blowing over in high winds.

While the owners of the Villiers site have carried out the work the council asked of them, Mr McNicholl added that one property owner continued to ignore the council.

The owner of 33 Princess Street is KBS Ltd, which has Mec Vannin chairman Mark Kermode as its sole director.

Earlier this year, Isle of Man Newspapers revealed how KBS had ignored and avoided orders to repair the property.

Councillor Debbie Pitts, whose father owns the house next door, called the situation ’a disgrace’ and asked what happened to a planned visit by a contractor in June.

Her words were supported by fellow councillor Elizabeth Quirk.

Mrs Quirk said: ’The house is horrible. The wood is in a terrible state and there are holes. People who leave their properties like this, and this isn’t the only property in the town in this state, should be charged higher rates.’

Some councillors suggested that it could be possible to compulsory purchase such sites.

However Mr McNicholl said: ’People, including me, get emotional about these issues. But I don’t think we should buy it. We would just be buying the problem and throwing good money after bad. What we need is tighter legislation.’