THE owners of a hair salon who unwittingly flouted the listed building status of its historic town centre premises will have to replace its new replacement windows and could face legal action.

Umberto Giannini, with salons in London and in seven Midland towns including Bromsgrove, had four wooden sash windows in its premises in lower High Street replaced by ones made of upvc.

But the company failed to inform Bromsgrove District Council before the work was carried out on the building - which in 1971 was given a grade II listing.

Its elegant Georgian windows being specifically mentioned at that time.

The smart new plastic windows were spotted by a sharp-eyed resident, who does not wish to be named, but who suspected that a breach of the order may have occurred.

The council, having been informed, hastily sent an inspector to investigate.

David Hemming the authorit's development control manager said the salon staff were shocked when it was pointed out a serious offence had been committed.

He said an application will now have to be submitted to the authority's planning committee for approval to rip out the plastic windows and replace them with wooden ones. He added that even if they are replaced the council must also consider whether to take the company to court for carrying out the unauthorised work in the first place.

Manager Stephen Mitchell, speaking from the firms's Knightsbridge salon, said the rotten wooden frames had been replaced on the advice of a builder as they were beyond repair and had become a danger to passers-by in the street below.

"We will comply with whatever the council wants us to do," he added.