A RETIRED Army captain could lose his 15-bedroom mansion for just £150,000 after a seven-year legal battle with a Hereford firm of solicitors.

Capt Edmund Carlisle is faced with a £20,000 legal bill after disputing a £691 bill from T A Matthews, the firm he instructed to act on his behalf against a car dealer and a bank for supplying him with a misrepresented Range Rover.

But his overall financial loss could be far worse after a judge ruled yesterday that his mansion could be sold for £150,000 when it is auctioned later this year.

T A Matthews seized Caynham Court, in Ludlow, last September and plans to sell it to recover the debts. Capt Carlisle believes the property is worth £350,000.

Capt Carlisle, of Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire, described the whole saga as "legalised robbery" after Judge Coles at Worcester County Court declared the reserve price for the house was fair.

Judge Coles prohibited him from doing anything to disrupt the auction, but refused to ban him from the event as had been requested. He also ordered him to hand over the deeds of the property within seven days.

Capt Carlisle's costs spiralled after he sued a garage for misrepresentation of a Range Rover, which he discovered to be three years older than its registration suggested.

He said he instructed a partner at TA Matthews, Geoffrey Shore, to act for him in person. But he claimed Mr Shore then passed the case on to a junior at the firm without his permission.

Mr Shore disputed this. "I told him I would be away on holiday during the week the proceedings were taking place," he said.

"I said I would find someone else to represent him."

The junior, Anna Fletcher, then discovered she had a conflict of interests and was unable to act for Capt Carlisle. Because of this, he did not pay the £691 he owed until the firm sued him - incurring extra costs in the process.

He eventually dropped the case on the advice of his new barrister, and the car dealer was later acquitted of selling stolen cars.

The 79-year-old then refused to pay the costs, saying they were submitted late. But a Hereford judge ruled that the bill still had to be paid.

When Capt Carlisle continued to withhold payment, T A Matthews applied to seize Caynham Court, which was granted after an appeal.

The latest blow came yesterday, with the reserve price being set at £150,000. Judge Coles went along with the view of Leominster estate agent William Jackson.

Mr Jackson said the value of the house had been affected by damp and dry rot.