WORLD superbike champ Carl Fogarty has put his luxury £285,000 farmhouse up for sale. And some Tockholes residents say they are "glad to see the back of him."

Villagers were amazed in the summer when he called parish councillors "fuddy duddies" for attacking plans to build a gym and sauna at his Grade Two-listed Chapels Farm home. He said they were "jealous."

News of his decision to sell up has reopened the sores, with locals accusing him of being little more than "a property speculator."

Critics say he only sought planning permission to add to the potential sell-on value of his home.

Mr Fogarty, meanwhile, has hit back, saying he wants to move away from "prying eyes."

His property was advertised in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph earlier this month by estate agents Mortimer, Gorse and Ross, and the details included luxuries such as stables, a garage block with planning permission for conversion, an outdoor swimming pool and tennis court.

Fogarty fell foul of strict planning laws by building the tennis court without asking for consent. He later gained retrospective permission.

Talking about the house move, Mr Fogarty told me he simply wanted to buy a bigger home. He said: "Suggestions that I have gained planning permission just to boost the value of the house are untrue. I just want a bigger house with a decent bit of land where I can build if I choose. I love living on the outskirts of Blackburn but now I want to move away from prying eyes."

Mr Fogarty has lived in the farmhouse for three years with wife Michaela and daughters, Danielle, six, and Claudia, three.

He added: "Most of the villagers have been great but there have been a few who have tried to cause trouble for no apparent reason.

"Those who objected to my planning application on the garage block obviously don't have anything better to do. It seems they are jealous of what I have achieved."

But Parish Council clerk Graham Marsh, of Weasel Lane, said: "What he has done for this village is virtually zero and he will not be missed. We will be glad to see the back of him.

"He has gone about his business with a very cavalier attitude and has shown total disregard for the community.

"He has acted like a property speculator and it appears he has got this planning permission just to increase the value of his home. "

Villager Andrew Rosthorn, of Ivy Cottages, said: "By putting his house up for sale immediately after getting planning permission Mr Fogarty has made his intentions very clear. He has helped to turn this lovely moorland village into a piece of suburbia."

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