A house – whose roof was ripped away by catastrophic tornado – has been sold for a staggering six figure sum despite still being covered in plastic sheeting.

The crumbling property in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, suffered severe damage after it was struck by Storm Gerrit in December last year.

Even though the three-bedroom is missing a roof and still remains encased in scaffolding and plastic sheeting, it still sold for more than double its guide price of £72,000.

And when the hammer officially went down on Wednesday, the buyer forked out an eye-watering £147,000 for the terraced home.

Properties in this area typically sold for an average of £188,454 with a few properties even nabbing more than £200,000.

A crumbling property with no roof in Stalybridge (pictured) has been sold for a staggering six figure sum

The three bedroom terraced house was struck by the devastating Storm Gerrit in 2023, which ripped away its roof (pictured in December 2023)

But an absent roof isn’t the only challenge facing the new owner, as the home has seriously damaged floorboards and walls as well as water damage.

Not only will they be lumbered with a bill for new scaffolding, there are also remnants of debris from shattered windows, the Manchester Evening News reports. 

On December 27, a ‘whirlwind’ of madness descended on Stalybridge in Greater Manchester, as Storm Gerrit battered the country.

As winds reached staggering speeds of 160mph struck the Greater Manchester town, several properties were left in ruin.

The tornado damaged 100 homes, sent trees toppling ‘like dominoes’ and wrote off cars as flying debris caused major structural damage while residents hid under their duvets. 

Many people caught up in the event compared mini-tornado to a twister seen across the pond in the US or in Hollywood films.

Described as an ‘Intense Tornado’, the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) gave Storm Gerrit a T5 rating – halfway up the 10-stage International Tornado Intensity Scale.

CCTV released by local residents appears to showed the shocking moment a quiet street was battered by Storm Gerrit, with debris seen flying through the air before a roof tile impales the bonnet of a BMW car. 

Others shared footage from within their homes, with fine glass seen shattered across furniture in living rooms after windows were smashed in by the storm.

Stalybridge resident Kerry Hogan described the tornado as ‘bedlam’ at the time, while another family feared they were going to die.

Ms Hogan told BBC Radio 5 Live that the tornado ‘lasted a minute, 90 seconds, literally a whirlwind of madness’ and it ‘sounded horrendous’.

Although the home has serious damage both inside and outside the property, it has been sold for double its guide price (pictured in December 2023)

The new buyer will not only have to fork out £147,000 – they will also have to front the bill for the scaffolding

Despite having no roof, the property has been classed in category D for energy

Now the disintegrated house, which was damaged by the storm, took less than three hours to surpass its guide price.

Prospective buyers were kept well in the loop about what they were buying, with sale documents clearly listing the severe damaged caused to the property by Storm Garret. 

Although the property may have no roof, the paperwork – dating back to 1886 – has placed its energy rating in category D.

Pugh Auctions, who carried out the sale, described it as ‘a superb development opportunity for a local builder/developer.’

According to the auctioneers, they believe the buyer would more than recoup the cost of replacing the roof and repairs it was then put up for auction afterwards.