£5m house waiting for prints charming

From the archive, first published Wednesday 23rd May 2007.

A HOUSE in Poole, which is up for grabs for a cool £5 million, comes with a security system that would surely impress super-spy James Bond.

The seven-bed behemoth in Canford Cliffs includes all the luxury add-ons prospective buyers might expect for the impressive price tag, such as an indoor swimming pool and a plethora of enormous plasma screens dotted around the interior.

But perhaps the property's most interesting feature is the fingerprint scan identification system at the front gates, which open on to Haig Avenue.

Essentially, each family member's fingerprint is programmed into the system, which opens the home's substantial gates when its scanner recognises a print stored in its database.

And if that was not enough to deter burglars intent on filling their swag bags with loot, the home, which has a guide price of £4,900,00, also includes a CCTV network with four external cameras linked to the entry system.

Tanya Wicks from estate agents Savills' Canford Cliffs branch said: "This is the first fingerprint identification entry system we have come across, although a lot of the houses we deal with of a similar size have got electronic gates.

"This house is built to very high specifications, particularly in regard to the technology it uses."

The spacious home, which is half-a-mile from the shops at Canford Cliffs village, boasts a large gym and a sunken hot tub, sauna and steam room in the swimming pool complex.

Properties in the exclusive cul-de-sac have previously gone for as much as £3.5 million