A young couple in north Pembrokeshire are battling to save the home they built themselves from potential demolition.

Charlie Hague and Megan Williams, both 25, built their wooden roundhouse on private land in Glandwr with help from family and friends, but failed to obtain the necessary planning permissions.

Charlie and Megan are now appealing an enforcement notice, which says the property is 'harmful to the rural character of the locality' and must be demolished.

The couple have also applied for retrospective planning permission, and have set up a Facebook page so people can learn about their turf-roofed eco home.

They acknowledge that their property was built without prior consent, but said that there was no other way for them to afford their own home. Megan said: "I know it's not a possibility for everyone, and our situation here is unique, but if young people are to live and work in the area they need somewhere to live."

Building work took place last summer, and was finished just weeks before the birth of their son Eli. Prior to the house being built, the couple lived in a mobile home on the site, which is owned by Charlie's parents.

Charlie is a sculptor and woodworker whose business relies on locally sourced timber and wood from his own land. However, the council has stated that the house is 'not essential to provide accommodation for an agricultural or forestry worker'.

The couple plan to become as self-sufficient as possible by using the natural resources around them.

Charlie said: "We built this house to provide our son with a healthy environment to grow up in. We were born in the area, went to school here, and have lived here all our lives. We wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman said: "An enforcement notice has been served on this property as it is alleged that an unauthorised dwelling has been built in open countryside without planning permission."

The planning application can be accessed online at www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk using ref no 12/1070/PA. The deadline for submissions is April 4th. To visit Charlie and Megan's Facebook page, search: Charlie and Meg's Roundhouse.