Replacing three traditional timber windows in his St Davids house with UPVC alternatives has cost a homeowner £3,315.

Kevin Gwyn Lock, of Tal Y Coed, Station Road, Ystradgynlais, Swansea was taken to court by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.

He admitted failing to comply with a listed building enforcement notice, relating to the three windows, within the given time.

Lock bought his property at 8 Nun Street in March 2006 and soon after replaced three window frames with replicas made from UPVC.

He subsequently received an enforcement notice from the National Park but decided to appeal it. When he lost the appeal, on August 22nd 2008, Lock had three months to replace the UPVC frames with timber ones.

By November 22nd 2008 he had commissioned a carpenter to make the new wooden frames but they had not been installed.

Helen Hodges, representing the park authority, told magistrates that the maximum fine for failing to comply with section 43 of the listed buildings conservation area act was £20,000. She also applied for £2,800 costs.

Lock, defending himself, told the court that he had "taken his eye off the ball" regarding the St Davids house. In August 2008 his mother had been diagnosed with cancer.

He had visited her regularly during the 14 weeks she was in hospital. She died on November 6th and was buried on November 13th.

"The enforcement notice did take a back seat," he said.

The court heard how wooden window frames had been installed in January 2009 but that they still didn't conform to what the national park wanted. It was hoped that a meeting in the near future would resolve this.

Magistrates ordered Lock to pay a fine of £1,800. They also ordered him to pay £1,500 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.