WHEN a property sale sounded too good to be true for one developer, Tommy Walsh confirmed it most certainly was.

Homes Under The Hammer host Tommy Walsh knows a bargain when he sees one – but he also knows how to spot a red flag.

One property developer learned this the hard way on a recent episode of the BBC One show.

While the celebrity builder and presenter, 65, was taking a tour of a new home, bought for £53,000 by developer, Lee, he was left open-mouthed at the serious structural issue he spotted, which could have life-threatening consequences.

He was frozen in shock when he discovered the chimney breast on the ground floor had been completely removed, while upstairs the remainder of it was still in place.

This meant there was insufficient support between the two floors and the consequences could be catastrophic.

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On spotting the removed bricks Tommy ran upstairs to inspect what was stacked above it and was stunned by what he found.

He said: “That needs opening up and finding out whether it's properly supported. Because if it's not, there could be anywhere between three to five tonnes in that.

“If that was to go, the repercussions could be severe."

The homeowner, who bought the property with a plan to renovate it and then let it out to tenants, had failed to notice the serious structural issue.

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He said: “In honesty, I didn't see that. I've seen it on entering today. Yes. it needs taking care of, yes it will be taken care of.

“It's something I've done before by choice, not through necessity. This time it will be through necessity.”

It wasn’t all bad news though – despite the chimney problem the property was in good condition and simply needed cosmetic changes.

Homes Under The Hammer airs weekdays at 10am on BBC One and is available on iPlayer.

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