The owners of a boutique hotel who used reality TV to escape their mounting debts are believed to have shut up shop for good.

Blanch House Hotel, run by Chris Edwardes and Amanda Blanch, has closed suddenly.

But when The Argus contacted the couple by phone yesterday Mr Edwardes said they did not wish to comment on their situation.

When The Argus visited the premises yesterday there was no answer at the door, the curtains were drawn and post could be seen piling up inside.

There is nothing on the Blanch House website to indicate that the hotel, in Atlingworth Street, Brighton, had closed, although rooms can no longer be booked online and the hotel's phone has been disconnected.

Last year, the couple and their two children, India and Jake, took part in BBC programme The Real Swiss Family Robinson after nine years of working round the clock running the hotel.