A Shropshire couple who put their £500,000 house up for sale in a prize draw in a bid to beat the housing slump have admitted defeat after failing to sell enough tickets.

Nick and Liz Turner, who own the former Border Cafe, near Middletown, hoped to offload the property so they could start a new life with their family in France, but fell short of their target 33,333 tickets for the raffle.

After failing to sell enough tickets, the couple have decided to cut their losses and will now attempt to sell the property on the housing market in the New Year.

Mr Turner said the competition was still open for people to enter with the prize draw now including a cash incentive rather than the house.

He said those who had already bought tickets costing £15 each would automatically be entered into the draw.

The original deadline for the contest passed last week but the couple have now extended it until December 31 so more tickets can be sold.

Mr Turner said he was disappointed they had not been able to sell their seven-bedroom home, which comes with three bathrooms and seven reception rooms.

He said: “I don’t think we will achieve the value of the house so it’s no longer a prize unfortunately. I’m absolutely gutted because the whole idea was that the house would go.

“We will now try and sell it in the New Year.

“We have extended the deadline because we thought it would be an opportunity for people to buy a ticket as an unusual Christmas present. The prize will be the value of the tickets less an administration fee.”

The property had been on the market for 12 months before Mr and Mrs Turner stumbled on the idea of selling it via a raffle in August.

The pair are desperate to start a new life together with their family in Brittany, France. The new deadline is December 31, with the draw to take place in the New Year.

Full terms and conditions and tickets are available by answering a question on the website at www.shropshirehouse.co.uk

By Russell Roberts