PROPERTY House-buyers turned off by gnomes

Mirrors on the bedroom ceiling, brown bathroom suites and doorbells which play tunes are among the top turn-offs for people looking to buy a house, says a new survey.

Other definite no-nos include discovering there is a nightclub, sewage works or motorway nearby, the sight of a car on bricks next door and stray dogs roaming the local streets.

Results of a survey for NatWest Mortgage Services by BMRB International earlier this month of 2,012 people provide a guide to what will - and what won't - find favour, said the bank.

In Wales, mirrors on the bedroom ceiling were a particular turn- off and the garden gnome was least popular in East Anglia.