Bargain hunters descend on dublin auction

A house went for as little as 30,000 euro (£26,500) in a fire sale auction widely touted to set a new floor for Ireland's plummeting property market.

The semi-detached three-bedroom home in the Midlands was snapped up in an auction where investors forked out some 15 million euro (£13.2 million) on 80 properties.

The sale of distressed properties in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin - the first of its kind in the country - had to be suspended for more than 10 minutes as 200 people trying to get in blocked the road outside.

Another 1,000 were crammed in the auction hall, overflow room and bar, with some 300 punters watching it live on screens in Doheny and Nesbitts pub nearby.

Source: Assetz