Flat with picturesque river view sells for just £1 because it is impossible to access and has never been occupied
A flat in the centre with stunning riverside views in the centre of a Cambridgeshire town has been sold for £1 at auction. But there's a catch: the property has no entrance and no one knows what’s inside.
The one-room, 129sq ft home has bridges an alleyway between a Chinese takeaway and an insurance firm in Wisbech, near Ely.
It has no external doors and there is no formal access route into the flat – which boasts a window overlooking the river Nene - from either neighbouring business. There is also no record of anyone having lived at the address or used it for any other purpose
Despite that, the mysterious 16th century property sold at auction after a local businessman lodged a last-minute £1 bid.
The guide price for the flat, sold off by Fenland District Council as one of a number of “surplus properties”, had been £100.
The auction details state: "This is an opportunity to acquire a flying freehold which extends over part of a vehicular access passageway and comprises a single, currently inaccessible room, measuring approximately 12 sq m.
"There is limited information and we have not, at this stage, gained access."
Despite being won at such a low price, the buyer is likely to have to stump up additional fees that take to total cost to about £1,000.
Auctions partner Victoria Reek described the curious property as "certainly one of the weirdest ones we've had at auction", and admitted it was "probably just full of cobwebs".
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