A mysterious house that caused its owners to flee Wales has now been sold.
The property, in College Street in Ammanford, went to auction on May 18 after the owners announced they wanted to move on with their lives.
Married couple Alan and Christine Tait had always wanted to retire in Wales and when the fire damaged property came up in 2007, they knew it had potential. They planned to renovate the building and turn it into a four-bedroom B&B, while they lived in a flat together on site.
But, for the past three years, the couple have refused to step one foot in their dream home because of the peculiar noises they said were coming from beneath the basement. Instead, the Taits - who are in their mid-60s - have been touring the UK in a van trying to raise awareness of the sinister activities they believe are happening underground - that men, women and children are living, sleeping and working underneath the house.
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Mr Tait said the auction with Seel&Co seemed to be unsuccessful at first, with the two interested bidders unwilling to meet the £90,000 reserve price. The highest bid fell just short, coming in at £80,000. However, once the auction had finished, an offer of £90,000 was made and accepted by Mr Tait.
He said the news was bitter-sweet. They were both relieved to be leaving that chapter of their lives behind, though it confirmed that their dreams of turning the property into a B&B would never happen.
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"I was sad when I put the property in the auction", said Mr Tait. "I did not want to give up on what had been our planned retirement for many years, but the reality is that the house has been empty for three years since then. We fell in love with Wales when we were in our twenties, every plan we made around our retirement was based on living in Wales.
"To realise at 65 years old that our dream is over is a terrible feeling. I have lost track of the amount of videos and sound tracks that we have shared with everyone. Over the years we have discovered many things. Our quest to get a proper investigation into the noises that were recorded will continue."
The house has planning permission for five flats and Mr Tait said he hoped it would be converted to provide "much needed accommodation" for young families in the area.
