Residents are furious after learning thousands of pounds of taxpayers' cash has been spent on heating their EMPTY village hall for almost three years. Villagers living in picturesque Tibberton, Worcs., have blasted council bosses after discovering they have been paying £5,000 on energy bills for the disused building. Plans to build a new village hall started in 2017 with the parish council even increasing council tax precept by 91.4 per cent in order to start the construction work. After the £900,000 refurbishment, residents were left disappointed at the sight of the brand new facility sitting empty for almost three years. But locals have since been astonished to learn the heating has still been on at the empty hall which nobody has been able to use amid soaring energy costs. Joe Ventre, digital campaign manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Local households are bound to wonder why they’ve been paying to heat an empty building. “After facing down a surging precept and with the hall still yet to open, this bill will only add insult to injury for residents. “The parish council must ensure that funds are being used to provide functional facilities.” Members of the Tibberton Action Group and residents raised their concerns regarding the village hall at a recent parish council meeting. Lockdown was blamed for delaying the use of the hall but no reason was given for why it is still not in use now. Tibberton resident, Carol Gardner, 55, said afterwards: "We just couldn't believe it. Nobody has been able to use the hall but we've been footing the bill to heat it. "It would be baffling at any time but with families struggling to heat their homes this winter, it is absolutely outrageous. "They put up council tax to fund the place and now we're having to pay to heat an empty hall. We were all just staggered. It's an astonishing waste." Another local resident took to social media to comment: "Homeless on the streets and you heat an empty village hall. Shame on you." One web user said: "The villages of middle England are laughing at the rest of us. Disgraceful."