A former central Romford pub expected to be sold at auction for around £3.5million was withdrawn before it could go under the hammer.

The site of The Bitter End, which is located in Romford High Street, was to be auctioned on March 31 with a guide price of between £3.45m and £3.55m.

A retail unit on the premises, which generates an annual rental income of £36,000, was also included as part of the lot.

There is also a large car park behind the building, resulting in an approximate site area of 0.11 hectares or 1,100sqm.

Andrew Curtin, chair of the Romford Civic Society, previously described the property as an "important and attractive building in the Romford Conservation Area”, adding any prospective buyers must be committed to “high-quality restoration and conservation”.

This paper was informed by a company working on behalf of the auction house, Acuitus, that properties fall through at the last minute “for all sorts of reasons”, and its spokesperson suspects it will reappear at auction in the near future.