Paving stones lifted from Ironbridge up for sale on eBay

The paving slabs, from the streets of Ironbridge, have already been sold on by Telford & Wrekin Council.

They have now appeared for sale on the internet auction site as the new owners look to take advantage of demand from landscape gardeners.

The slabs are on sale by company Ren New for £92 per square yard plus VAT and delivery.

Telford & Wrekin Council removed the York stone flags at the Wharfage and Tontine Hill and replaced them with block paving earlier this year after concerns were raised about its condition.

Chiefs said the York stone was difficult to maintain and the cost of doing so would run to £300,000.

Russell Griffin, a spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, confirmed that the York stone had been sold on by the council to Ren New for £90,000, which has been reinvested into future renovation works in The Gorge.

Currently plans are in place for more than £250,000 of improvements in Ironbridge.

The last sections of York stone pavements will be replaced, along with litter bins, bollards and railings in the £270,000 scheme. The investment follows £400,000 spent from the local sustainable transport fund to replace the York stone on The Wharfage, High Street and Tontine Hill with local clay block paving.

Selling the stone and efficiencies made during the project has already saved the council £90,000, which has been reinvested into improvements.

Any future stone removed will also be sold on to help towards the project.

Staff working at Ren New refused to comment, but said that the stone was not just being sold on eBay and had already been selling well, with only a small remainder left in the yard.

Plans were unveiled at the start of the year that the York stone paving would be replaced. But the scheme came under fire from some residents who said the stone makes up the colour palette of the gorge and closely matches the bridge stonework.

Campaigners criticised the council's consultation on the scheme, saying that it did not offer people the option to choose the replacement for the current stone.

But the council said the option was offered and that the stone was not a historic feature of the Gorge, having only been lain in the 1980s. About £380,000 was spent on replacing the stones with the block paving.