TWO enterprising brothers’ mission to transform a badly neglected property into a successful holiday let in Prestatyn has been featured on Homes Under the Hammer.

Presenter Martin Roberts and a crew from the BBC TV series – which showcases property owners buying homes at auction and their subsequent renovation – visited Tony and Ian Devenport as they worked on Hillside Cottage.

The brothers were approached at an auction in March in Liverpool by the BBC team after successfully bidding £100,000 on the property, located by the Hillside shelter statues at the bottom of the road to Gwaenysgor.

Tony and Ian, who have a background in amusements, gave up their indoor go-kart business in Deeside in 2015 to pursue holiday lets for a better work-life balance and to take advantage of the growing market in North Wales. This is their second property in Prestatyn.

Ian said: “We were approached at the auction, and we said ‘yes’ straight away.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. We didn’t really think about what we were getting ourselves into.”

The property came with a comprehensive to-do list, including a sorting out badly overgrown garden, issues with damp and a badly dilapidated interior, but it was a must for the brothers because of its sea view.

One of the most gruelling jobs was to solve the lack of parking, which involved the two brothers moving about 20 tons of earth by hand, 200 metres up a narrow path to a skip.

Tony said: “We had a saying at the go-kart track – ‘It’s not exactly digging coal is it?’. This was worse!”

By the time the Homes Under the Hammer crew returned in October, the brothers had spent about £42,000 – £2,000 over budget – and had toiled for eight months.

Local estate agent Peter Large valued the property at £228,000 with an expected weekly lets revenue of £800 in high season. Ian added: “People’s lives are so busy now, and nobody really has the time for two-week holidays.

“It’s all about the short breaks of three to four nights. ”

“A lot of people have Prestatyn down solely as a seaside resort, but there has definitely been a surge of interest in the town for walking its mountains.”

The brothers are supported by data from holiday let company Sykes Cottages, which reported a 29 per cent increase in bookings to North Wales - its second most popular holiday destination - in 2017 compared to the previous year.

Before the show aired on January 4, the brothers had already welcomed guests throughout November, and even on Christmas and New Year’s Day.