A BARROW farmhouse for sale for £1 was withdrawn from sale just hours before it was due to go under the hammer.

The 10-bedroom farmhouse in Rampside Road, separated into four properties, came with the land bought by British Gas after construction of the two gas terminals started in the early 1980s.

The previous owners of the cottages sold the properties and land to British Gas in 1996 under compulsory purchase.

The four adjoining cottages and barn, which are Grade II listed, were built in 1759 and come with 0.86 acres of land.

The property was due to go under the hammer at an auction in London on Thursday with no reserve and a guide price of just £1.

However, bosses at auctioneers Allsop have now revealed the listing was withdrawn from the sale at the eleventh hour.

A spokeswoman for Allsop said: "The vendor had to withdraw it due to legal issues.

"These should be resolved in time for this to be offered in our December auction sale."

Moorhead Cottages is currently owned by terminals operator Spirit Energy.

Property expert David Corrie said listing the property with no reserve was a 'bold move'.

"If you were looking to keep it as four separate houses then you'd maybe need to spend £500,000 so it is a great opportunity," he said.

"The cottages have great views, they're west facing and in a handy location for Barrow.

"Planning permission shouldn't be a problem either."

Any buyer will also need to pay £1,000 in fees if the property sells for £10,000 or more or £200 if sold for less than £10,000.