It has got five bedrooms, a heated swimming pool and is on the market for a cool £3 million.

But the plush Hove home comes with an almighty catch – it has been built without full planning consent and so could potentially be torn down.

Officers from Brighton and Hove City Council warned owners Tim and Lucy Harding they must obey planning regulations, including cladding the property in timber and tilting solar panels to reduce glare for neighbours.

But Mr Harding, who ignored the measures and claimed they would make his multi-million pound home look like a shed, has now been hit with a planning enforcement notice.

A council spokesman said refusal to heed the notice would result in court action and substantial fines of up to £20,000.

For full report see today's Argus.