A former respite holiday centre for the disabled has been sold for £830,000.

A mystery buyer snapped up Lulworth Court, the seafront complex on Chalkwell Esplanade, Westcliff, after a hectic bidding session at public auction.

Dedman Property Services auctioneer Simon Mellish launched the sale with a starting price of £400,000 in the Cumberland Suite, Pembury Road, Westcliff.

Bids quickly rose in £25,000 leaps to £600,000 and then in stages of £10,000 until it reached £810,000.

The final rounds crept up in £1,000 bids at a time until the offer of £830,000 was agreed - £180,000 over the reserve price.

Leaders of the Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People - which managed the holiday complex - were both saddened and delighted with the sale.

Tony Richins, director of fundraising and marketing for the foundation, said: "It's not total euphoria but we are delighted because it has raised so much money.

"What happens in broad brush terms is we have to pay for the fairly extensive deficits we have had over the last 18 months and then fund the redundancy payments.

"The money that is left after that will go into the care respite fund we are developing and some of it will come to the foundation to help support disabled people."

The holiday centre closed last month after losing health authority funding.

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