By Rob Cooper Last updated at 4:34 PM on 30th December 2011 A prisoner of war camp were held is to undergo £500,000 worth of repairs after an emergency donation from English Heritage. Harperley in Durham, which was built to house captured Italian and German prisoners during World War II, needs urgent work after it was hit by last year's sharp winter. The sheds, many of them with corrugated rooftops and asbestos panelling, were supposed to be temporary buildings when they were put up in 1943. Owners: James and Lisa McLeod tried to sell the camp on eBay two years ago and have now received £500,000 from English heritage to carry out emergency repairs
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Work will preserve auditorium and canteen where PoWs socialised
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Temporary buildings at Harperley, Durham, were expected to last a few years
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English heritage make large donation after buildings were wrecked by weather last winter
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Camp housed German and Italian prisoners
The theatre and the canteen which are undergoing repairs were central to the social life at @placeholder.