The first 'pre-built' homes have been craned into place at a ground-breaking development in Moreton-in-Marsh.

Developer Bromford is having the 28 properties created in a factory in Yorkshire by modular housebuilder ilke Homes.

The first 10 have now been delivered to the Stockwells site in sections and the remaining 18 are due to arrive over the next few weeks.

The project is a first for housing association Bromford and will replace 24 outdated homes from the 1950s with two- and three-bedroom homes available for social rent.

Millie Nicholls, regeneration project manager at Bromford, said: "With high energy prices continuing to fuel the cost-of-living crisis, it's never been more important to build energy efficient affordable housing.

"Not only will customers benefit from living in A-rated homes which require less energy to run, it is another step for us to making sure all of our homes have at least a C Energy Performance Certificate rating by 2028."

Bromford secured £240million from Homes England in 2022 when it was named one of the Government agencies strategic partners and is using part of this funding to finance the new homes at Stockwells.

Cotswold District Council also gave £550,000 to fund the installation of solar panels, battery storage and air source heat pumps in the properties. It said when complete, the homes will be some of the most energy efficient in the country.

Cllr Joe Harris, leader of Cotswold District Council, said: "This is an innovative zero-carbon housing scheme and the first modular build of its kind anywhere in the Cotswolds.

"This is the standard we expect of affordable housing here in the Cotswolds. Not only do we want housing to be zero carbon, we want it to be genuinely affordable."

Tom Heathcote, executive director of development at ilke Homes, said the "milestone" demonstrates offsite manufacturing's ability to deliver affordable homes, fast

"Bromford and Cotswold District Council understand the role modular housing has to play in enhancing the build quality of homes and their ability to speed up construction programmes."