MODERN-DAY Fred Flintstones and Barney Rubbles are falling over each other to get back to basics in a property which boasts no running water, electricity or toilet.

Perhaps surprisingly, hundreds of inquiries have been made over this unique arrival on the market - a cave which has not been lived in for half a century.

Sealed bids are being invited for Rock House in Wolverley, thought to be the last inhabited cave in the country when Dorothy Smith left in the 1950s - and now one of her relatives has entered the bidding, itching to buy a piece of family history.

Dug out of sandstone at Drakelow Lane in the 18th century, the cave has been owned by a Birmingham family since the late 1800s - but has been put on sale because the current owner is finding it difficult to maintain.

Estate agent Andrew Grant said the property was the first of its kind to come onto the open market.

But businessman Stuart Smith is hoping his bid will be enough to secure ownership of the cavern made famous by his grandmother Dorothy, who rented it and was dubbed "the last of the Troglodytes" by the media when she left.

The 30-year-old, who runs his own construction firm in Kidderminster, said: "They were hard times. My grandmother was quite poor.

"I'm proud of the way she lived, despite the attitudes of some people who seem to look down on it. I thought it would be nice to keep the cave in the family and when it came up for sale I thought why not?"

Current owner Richard Horsford said: "The cave has been owned by my family since the end of the 1800s and the time has come to sell it on."

He said his family has been using the cave - which features three rooms, whitewashed walls and the remains of an old fireplace - for weekend picnics since it became uninhabited.

Andrew Grant is inviting bids over £10,000 for the cave, described as "an enormously interesting part of local history", and claims it would make a good holiday home if given planning permission.

It is set in just over an acre of woodland and comes with a second cave thought to have been used as a caf by American servicemen in the Second World War.

Historians estimate about 50 families lived in similar rock houses in the surrounding area in the 19th century.

A spokesman for Andrew Grant said: "Virtually every phone call we are receiving at the moment is about this property.

"Three bids have been submitted but we may have to arrange block viewing sessions because of all the interest.

"This property has not been on the market for at least 100 years and it is unique for a cave to come up for sale in this day and age."

Those interested in buying the cave have until tomorrow to submit their sealed bids to Andrew Grant.