A Halstead shop that has been empty for more than two years has finally been sold at auction.

Thomas Cook closed its doors in July 2013 after the travel agents closed almost 200 of its stores across the country.

The shop has stood vacant ever since.

However, it looks as though it will get a new lease of life after being bought by a London-based investor at auction.

It was sold for £150,000 by Auction House East Anglia on September 17.

The building, which offers 1650 square foot of floorspace across three floors was advertised as being in a “prominent location”.

Mark Willett, regional manager of Suffolk and North Essex for the auction house, said: “As I understand it, he will be the end user of the builder, rather than just buying it to rent it out.

“He didn’t attend the auction himself, but send a third party along to bid on his behalf.”