Buoyed by increased interest from UK house-hunters as a result of favourable sterling-euro exchange rates, a village in Normandy is hoping to encourage ambitious would-be homeowners into the area by offering four building plots for just one euro per square metre. The plots are all between 900 and 1,000 square metres, so even the largest will cost little more than £700.

Patrick Madeleine, mayor of the village of Champ-du-Boult, told the Daily Telegraph that the land had been on the market for €12 per square metre, but had no takers, and had reduced the price dramatically to generate more interest. With a population of just 338 people, the village is hoping to attract more residents to generate more wealth.

The mayor had already received 100 enquiries about the land at the time of writing, but is determined to sell the land to someone who will live there permanently, preferably with a family. A quarter of the village is already owned by British people, and a third of these are holiday homes.