Cumbria killer's house is sold

The home of the Cumbria gunman Derrick Bird was sold for £35,000 at auction yesterday.

The taxi driver shot dead 12 people and wounded 11 others in the Whitehaven area on 2 June before shooting himself. His terraced property in the village of Rowrah went under the hammer at Carlisle racecourse, where it was described as being "in need of modernisation".

Auctioneers had dropped the guide price, saying only a "handful" of buyers had shown interest. Initially, the estimated sale price was between £35,000 and £45,000, but it was lowered by £5,000.

Colin West, of Auction House Cumbria, said it was hard to put a price on the property because of its "associated history", and described the sale as "difficult".

"It has to be handled professionally and sensitively," he added. "We are part of the community as well as a business and the staff know some of the bereaved and injured as well as the Bird family."

Similar houses in the area are worth about double the value.