A £1 MILLION pot of cash has been set aside by Dudley Council bosses to bring eyesore and derelict plots of land back into use.

The authority has pledged to use Compulsory Purchase Orders as a last resort where landowners refuse or are unable to bring forward development of the sites themselves.

A number of schemes are already progressing, with planning applications submitted for council-led schemes to build homes on land in Colley Gate and Enville Street, Stourbridge.

The authority is also working with investors to push forward housing schemes on Malt Mill Lane, Halesowen, and Grazebrook Park, Brierley Hill.

Councillor Simon Phipps, Dudley's cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, said: ""We have identified around 20 sites across the borough that are derelict and need sorting out.

"We have set aside a substantial amount of cash, and have powers at our disposal to make that happen.

"Our first port of call will be to contact the landowners if we can and ask them to sort it out themselves.

"If they cannot do that, or they are unwilling to do that, then we have the option of a CPO where we would take over the land. As we have already shown with Enville Street and Colley Gate, we can then push through positive developments to bring these sites back into use."