A block of agricultural land that extends to 18.18 acres sold for £280,000 (£15,400/acre) at a public auction in Ballymena mart on Monday.

The land is located on the Ahoghill Road at Randalstown, Co Antrim and is accessed via a shared lane. It was described as arable grade land and it is sown out in grass at present.

The block runs beside the development limit for Randalstown and is adjacent to the River Maine. It is laid out across four fields and is surrounded by mature hedgerows.

The sale was conducted by J.A. McClelland & Sons and the property was being offered up in one lot. A 10% deposit from the successful bidder was required on the day of the auction and the sale was due to be completed within 10 days.

Auctioneer Shaun Irvine received an opening bid of £200,000 and subsequent bids of £10,000 followed. After consulting the vendor, the property was put on the market at £270,000 and the hammer dropped after two more bids worth £5,000 each.