THE shed that housed the famous Allendale Dalek has been donated to a local pre-school.

The Dalek, situated outside Neil Cole’s Museum of Sci-Fi on Market Place, made headlines around the world when Northumberland County Council ordered it removed, because Neil hadn’t sought planning permission to put the shed up to protect it from the elements outside the Grade II listed town house.

However, Neil was able to get temporary planning permission for a year last August – but that has now expired, and the Dalek has been removed.

The shed is to be donated to Allendale pre-school, where Neil’s children were looked after.

He explained: “We’ve donated the shed to the pre-school. They need an outside play building.

“We could’ve sold it, but they looked after my children and were fantastic with my son, who has autism.

“It’s going to a new home in the village, so it’s really nice it’s not going to waste.”

The so-called Allendalek attracted a lot of support from residents of the village and they will be delighted to hear that it is soon to be replaced.

The new, solid steel “Allendalek Mk2” will be a sculpture on wheels that will not require planning permission.

It will be unveiled by actress and Doctor Who star Sophie Aldred in October at the museum’s grand reopening.

Neil continued: “We’ve now got one of the best Daleks ever made. It’s had three builders and myself working on it, including my brother-on-law and Steve Allen, who actually made Daleks for the Peter Capaldi series.

“It’s going to be mint. It’s a 1960s absolutely accurate Dalek – it’s like the Spitfire of Daleks.”