AN expert from Homes Under The Hammer says he has 'never seen such a perfect property come across my gavel' after a west Dorset ice cream parlour sold for more than £500,000.

Mollie’s ice cream parlour, in Marine Parade, Lyme Regis, went under the hammer at an auction organised by Symonds & Sampson in Sherborne on April 20.

Guided at £250,000, bidding was quickly pushed past £500,000 with the hammer falling eventually at a staggering £515,000.

The winning bidder was Gavin Kenward and his family, and it is believed the building will remain as an ice cream parlour.

The location enjoys stunning coastal views and is located in a prime spot on Lyme Regis seafront.

Auctioneer Graham Barton, the face of the BBC's Homes Under the Hammer in the West Country, called the sale of the parlour 'incredible'.

"It is a rare commodity on any seafront, never mind Lyme Regis," he told The News.

"It is incredible. The first lots of bidding were from commercial entrepreneurs from the Lyme and west Dorset areas.

"But when they started to slow down two families started bidding and it had a second wind and they took it from about £350,000 and drove it to £515,000.

"It is the same kind of people who have bought it now for hopefully many years, from a family who had it for 40 years.

"If someone got a coffee machine as well as the ice cream, I think it is a very lucrative income stream because the location is utterly prime.

"It was in a perfect setting; even the steps down to the beach were right in front of Mollie's. It also had a great name and I am not sure if they will change it or not.

"I have been doing this for over 30 years and I have never seen such a perfect commercial property come across my gavel."

The sale of Mollie's comes not long after Symonds & Sampson sold the the former Abbeyfield house in Lyme Regis for a staggering £1.45million at auction last year. 

Symonds & Sampson plans to host its next Sherborne auction on Thursday, May 25.