RESTRICTIONS which have prevented a Purbeck couple from selling their home to a Scottish family could apply to other properties in the area, a housing chief has warned.

Phil and Vicky Collins found a buyer for their £192,000 Briantspuddle home after 10 months only to be told they could not sell to the buyer because they were from outside Dorset.

A halt was called when council officials pointed out that the ex-council house had a covenant on it saying it could only be sold to locals.

Since the house was originally bought, Purbeck Housing Trust, part of the Synergy Group, has taken over the council’s housing stock and Brian Miller, interim director at Synergy, has warned others could be affected.

He said: “What’s happened is this is a property that was sold under Right to Buy legislation and because it was in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a covenant was put on it to restrict the sale to a certain class of people.

“Effectively it can only be sold on to somebody who has worked or lived in Dorset or another Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for the last three years, a designated rural area or National Park.

“Any other properties sold in a similar fashion could have a similar covenant.

“It’s quite a restriction, but when you buy a Right to Buy you have to accept the restriction.”

Phil, 31, told a national newspaper they were not advised of the covenant when they bought the house six years ago.

He added: “When we bought we already lived in Dorset and no one mentioned anything about a covenant.

“In this day and age, with property sales almost dried up and people desperate to move, it’s beyond belief the council and its housing trust is standing by this principle.”