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A man who snapped up a dilapidated property in Italy for merely 85p has been compelled to sell his house - after he was unable to locate workers to refurbish the property in time to satisfy a stringent deadline.

Danny McCubbin, 58, bought the house in Mussomeli, Sicily, where a 'Case 1 Euro' scheme was introduced to attract foreigners to the region.

The Australian, who had been living in the UK for 17 years, felt the chance to own a property abroad at such a reduced price was impossible to resist and encouraged others to follow suit.

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Nevertheless, the stipulation was that purchasers had to renovate the house within three years of buying to secure complete ownership.

And with worker shortages in Italy's building sector, the requirement proved challenging to satisfy as the chef – who has worked for Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Foundation – was unable to find anyone to help him in renovating his dream property within the deadline.

He was compelled to sell the property back to an estate agency after only a few months, receiving his payment back, as it proved extremely challenging to find builders.

Speaking to iNews, he said: "It was very difficult to find a builder and over time the house deteriorated.

"By the time I did find a building company, it was double the cost to renovate it. I decided it was not worth it for me anymore."

Danny said he was disappointed, having relished the peaceful lifestyle in Mussomeli, a town of just 11,000 residents.

However, it didn't put him off as he managed to snap up another bargain property for £6,700 (€8,000) which needed less renovation work.

Additionally, he was able to secure two construction workers for a week's labour, with the minor repairs costing him £4,200 (€5,000).

This has now enabled him to move into the property and he has since launched a community kitchen to prepare and distribute free meals to vulnerable families.

He added: "I moved here at the end of December 2020, because I wanted to live in Italy when Brexit happened.

"I've always wanted to live in Sicily, my parents loved the countryside. So I asked myself what was missing in Mussomeli and I came up with the idea of The Good Kitchen."

And the builder shortage has prompted Mussomeli's deputy to attempt to ease the burden on property owners who desperately require tradesmen to help with renovating their homes.

And mayor Toti Nigrelli has since pledged to tackle the labour shortage for others hoping to snap up a budget property at a discounted price.

He said: "Local enterprises, which are busy with renovations until 2024, are forced to turn down new contracts, but soon there will be an influx of new builders from abroad to help out."