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Stockton house sells for £14,000 at auction | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
A three-bedroom property in Stockton billed as Britain's cheapest house has sold for £14,000 at auction. | |
The semi-detached house in the Teesside town, on Limetrees Close, Port Clarence, went under the hammer with a starting price of just £750. | |
But a surge in interest saw its value reach £14,000 when it was bought on Tuesday evening. | |
Similar properties have sold for more than £50,000, according to auctioneers Robinsons estate agents. | Similar properties have sold for more than £50,000, according to auctioneers Robinsons estate agents. |
Richard Watson, from Robinsons, said the property needed a "huge amount" of work to bring it up to a "decent standard". | |
He added the house "has been vandalised to a very bad extent: all of the wiring has been taken out, there's no plumbing, there's no heating system, the kitchen has been removed, and the bathroom is an absolute mess". | |
'Really bad' | 'Really bad' |
The street which the house is on has suffered from anti-social behaviour and arson in the past, with Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham recently calling on residents to work with police to bring the area back to its "former glory". | |
A resident, who did not want to be named, said it used to be a family area, but had become "really bad" since homes had been left empty, attracting "the wrong kind of people". | A resident, who did not want to be named, said it used to be a family area, but had become "really bad" since homes had been left empty, attracting "the wrong kind of people". |
The street has more than 50 houses on it, 25% of which are currently empty, according to Stockton Council. | The street has more than 50 houses on it, 25% of which are currently empty, according to Stockton Council. |
The resident said: "It used to be like the suburbs, it was out of the way, we even had a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. | The resident said: "It used to be like the suburbs, it was out of the way, we even had a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. |
"It all changed about six or seven years ago; the street stopped being about families, and the houses were sold on to landlords who didn't care about the area." | "It all changed about six or seven years ago; the street stopped being about families, and the houses were sold on to landlords who didn't care about the area." |
A council spokesman said funding had been secured to help cover the costs of CCTV installation in the area. | |
It is hoped that this, along with "general clean-up work", will help revitalise the neighbourhood. |