AN Addingham house badly damaged by fire in March sold at auction for 70 per cent over the guide price yesterday.

The three-bedroom Grade II listed cottage - 5, The Green - was offered for sale by auction at York Racecourse and was expected to achieve £250,000 to £275,000.

Hunters Estate Agents in Ilkley, in conjunction with Hunters Auctions, managed the marketing and advertising of the house, with a number of open viewings taking place. Over 70 people took the opportunity to view the property.

And it would seem the fire damage did not put prospective buyers off as, after some competitive bidding in the auction room, the gavel finally dropped at £420,000.

Lester Hurst, director of Hunters in Ilkley said the home had sold to an Addingham family and not to a developer, which was good news for the village.

He said: "There is currently an unprecedented low level of family homes in the Ilkley and Addingham areas, clearly this latest auction property has demonstrated that no matter what condition there are more buyers than properties and auction is another route for vendors to achieve a swift and best market price."

Mr Hurst estimated it would take between £50-£70,000 to refurbish the character property, depending on the specification. "It has a stunning inglenook fireplace that will clean up well," he said.

"Structurally it is ok but it needs to be cherished and kept and looked after and talking to the new owners that is what will happen," he added. "It is good news for the village."

As reported in the Ilkley Gazette on March 24, firefighters were called the property on the evening of Friday, March 18. On arrival crews found an unconscious women and her son after they broke down the door to get in.

With the help an off-duty doctor, Dr David Eastwood, first aid was carried out before an ambulance took both residents to Airedale Hospital. The man, Geoffrey Butlin, aged 65, has unfortunately since died and an inquest into his death was opened on August 16 at Bradford Coroner's Court.