A couple who converted a pig barn into their dream home have been forced to rip it apart after they failed to apply for planning permission.

Heath Acre Barn, located down a track in Chedgrave, near Loddon, will now go under the hammer at a guide price of £20,000 to £40,000, although prospective buyers have been warned it cannot be used for residential purposes.

The couple, who did not wish to be named, moved into the barn in 2008 but did not apply for planning permission to turn it into a home.

After the Broads Authority became aware of the situation, they asked the couple to remove the kitchens and bathrooms they had installed and move out.

Desperate to stay in a home they adored, the couple appealed the decision and took the case to a public inquiry, although they were unable to prove to the planning inspector that they had been living there for more than four years.

The barn is around 1,800sq ft and is made of block with a corrugated roof. It was originally a pig barn. It has been internally converted into a dwelling, but still looks like an agricultural building from the outside. It has off-road parking to the front, along with mains electricity, borehole water and a septic tank.

Now, faced with no choice, the couple have put their barn up for auction.

“It can only be used as an agricultural building, which is why it is only £20,000.”

The four-bedroom barn conversion will go under the hammer with Auction House at Dunston Hall Hotel in Norwich, on February 18 at 11am.