FAKE windows and doors have been stuck onto derelict homes, making residents in one town feel like their home is haunted.
From a distance some homes in Horden, County Durham, look picture perfect with pretty curtains and classic front doors.
But if you get any closer, the windows and doors are a facade - pieces of plastic to disguise the vacant and dilapidated homes.
Locals now say Horden is like a "ghost town" or "hell hole" and is populated by "druggies".
Full time mum Sarah Smith, 32, is pregnant and desperate to escape the village before her baby is born.
I'm a property expert - my guess for the cheapest time to buy a home this year
Her terraced home lies between two empty houses, which have both been broken into.
She said: "The fake windows and doors are supposed to make the houses look better, but they don't work.
"How can a fake window look better than a real window? The only thing they do is make it harder for people to break in.
"The druggies aren't fooled by them, they're not stupid.
"It's too dangerous for my daughter, and she's with my mam. The house needs repair after repair.
"Houses get burnt. They put things through your letterbox to try and burn your house.
"The fake windows and doors aren't doing anything to help.
"People know they're fake. All they're doing is making it harder for the druggies to break in.
"No-one has a job here. The only job they have is to drink and get off their nuts 24/7 and steal to feed their habit.
"I go out of the area to shop, to see family. There's nothing here. It's forgotten, it's not cared about. It's a hell hole."
Inside Camilla's £850k 'guilty pleasure' country pad - and Charles 'hates' it
Durham County Council describes the stickers as "decorative skins" used to cover properties which are uninhabited and in a state of disrepair.
Horden appears mostly deserted and residents speak of an eerie "ghost town" by day in a village which comes alive at night with anti-social yobs and "druggies".
The druggies aren't fooled by them, they're not stupid
Sarah Smith
Residents are attracted by cheap rents while landlords snap up property for an average of £40K with some houses selling for as little as £5K.
Full time mum Liza Chapman, 45, said: "The fake windows and doors look hideous to me.
"I don't really understand the point of them.
"I have no idea why they have done it. I am a bit baffled by it.
"I think actually it makes the area look worse.
"The council should put some money into helping homeless people, they should do the houses up."
The village was once a thriving mining community but since the closure of the pits in 1987 it has struggled with unemployment and a stagnant housing market.
For decades Horden Beach was a dumping ground for coal waste and among the most polluted in the world.
Unemployed Thomas Galloway, 30, said there is now nothing for children to do in the town.
"They take drugs, break into the empty houses and smash the place up.
The fake doors and windows make the area look a bit tidier. I thought they were real to begin with.
Aleisha Summerhill
"It's supposed to make the community look neat and tidy and stop the windows getting smashed.
"It doesn't work. There are a lot of smashed windows.
"The landlords aren't bothered about making the houses nice because the rent is so cheap. It's a vicious circle."
Full time mum Aleisha Summerhill, 23, added: "The fake doors and windows make the area look a bit tidier. I thought they were real to begin with.
"They should do the same with all the empty buildings.
"It's not the best place to live.
"There's a lot of drugs, anti-social behaviour.
"It feels quiet in the day, but don't let that fool you. It is a very different place at night.
"There will be fighting and shouting in the street. It can be a nightmare.
"I am trying to get out of here."
Michael Kelleher, Durham County Council’s head of planning and housing, said: “We’re pleased that the friendliness and warmth of the people of Horden was picked up on by the visitors in this video.
“We do of course recognise that the village, as is the case with many communities up and down the country, is not without its challenges.
“That is why we are committed to doing everything we can, with the resources available to us, to enable regeneration and support community projects for the benefit of local people.
"We also continue to seek funding to allow us to do more, including opportunities presented by devolution.
“Through phase one of our Horden Masterplan, we are committing more than £6m to invest in new and existing housing, with the aim of providing local people with warm, safe and affordable places to live.
“Through the services we deliver, and by working with other agencies through our Horden Together project, we strive to tackle issues that matter to local people, including crime, drugs, health, housing and the environment.
“Through our selective licensing scheme in the village, we seek to improve conditions in rented properties and tackle issues caused by absentee owners, for the benefit of residents and the community.
“In recent years, we have worked with landlords to provide decorative skins for door and windows at empty properties, to improve their appearance and security; with residents telling us this has had a positive impact on the community.”
