SIX run-down homes in Blaenau Gwent went on the market yesterday - with an asking price of just £100 each.

Baronet Sir Dai Llewellyn (pictured) says he is putting the two and three-bedroom homes - described as "not quite Hiroshima, but World War Two East End" - up for sale after he failed to get a grant to develop them.

And as house prices across Britain spiral, the row of properties in the village of Llanhilleth - where nearby houses are fetching around £30,000 - could now be the cheapest in the country.

The average house price in Wales rose 18.72 per cent to £87,255 in the three months up to September - while the average price of properties in Blaenau Gwent shot up 39 per cent in the last year from £47,672 to more than £66,000.

Sir Dai, son of Harry "Foxhunter" Llewellyn and brother of Roddy, now says he wants to sell the houses to young couples having difficulty getting on the property ladder. "I bought them for £2,000 each but I can't get a grant to develop them because I bought them through my company," he said.

"Having tried this little experiment, I would like them to go to young couples so they can have a roof over their heads.

"I have to keep them secure and as I am not down in Wales now, people keep breaking in."

Purchasers would have to pay the legal costs but Sir Dai said that should not top £200. The houses need considerable work and Sir Dai himself described their condition as "not quite Hiroshima but World War Two East End".

But since he bought them the houses - said to have lovely views - have been plundered, with thieves taking toilets and flooring.

Jeanne Fry-Thomas, manager of the Darlows office in Brynmawr, said: "Although they are in a nice spot I think they will need quite a bit of work and it would not be advisable for people to just spend their £100 on them.

"They will need to be surveyed but for somebody who knows about construction, they could be a very good opportunity."

Lyn Maloney, chairman of the Llanhilleth residents association, said he would welcome the sale of the houses if they can be renovated.

Mr Maloney said: "If they can be renovated it will improve the outlook of the area. I know house prices in Llanhilleth are low anyway but I would imagine the £100 is because of their bad condition."

Llanhilleth councillor Jim McIlwee, executive member for housing, said the price of the houses was not a reflection on Llanhilleth. "Houses in Llanhilleth have seen a lot of money spent on them with a renewal grant in recent years," he said, and he added that he could not see local people turning up to buy the houses.

"There's major repair work that needs to be carried out on them," he added.