Escape to the Country fans fume 'are you kidding me?' after property disappointment

Escape to the Country fans raised their eyebrows when Simon and Deb dropped the bombshell that they had a £1.2 million budget for their dream home in Suffolk. Turning to Twitter, some exclaimed: "That's not a budget - that's lottery winnings!"

Meanwhile, viewers were left riled up after accurately predicting that the couple wouldn't splash the cash on any of the homes presented to them. Deb was spot on when asked to guess how much the mystery home she'd been shown was on the market for, drawing gasps as she estimated correctly right down to the nearest pound.

At £995,000, the gorgeous Georgian home in the rural village of Offton was more than £200,000 below the couple's budget. Yet Deb was adamant that she didn't see herself living there, as - despite being just five miles from Needham market - it wasn't close enough to a market town or quality high street.

"I don't think it's going to be our ideal home," she dismissively declared, adding that it reminded the couple too much of the house they had just sold. Their decision to shun the properties offered to them on the show had been predicted on Twitter beforehand, with one viewer writing: "Annoying couple already with their £1.2m budget. Bet they don't buy anything either #escapetothecountry."

Another agreed: "£1.2million budget. That's nice for them. They won't buy anything then, this is just another 'look how much money we've got' exercise." A third exclaimed: "Are you kidding me?" before adding: "£1.2 million is not a budget, that's practically lottery winnings!"

The pair had been presented with a substantial array of properties, including one jaw-dropping Grade II thatched cottage which owners had completely stripped back to reveal the tiled frame construct, before renovating.

They were invited to view a stunner in the riverside market town of Hadleigh, while they also received the expertise of a local Suffolk blogger who raved about the coastline, from the pastel beach huts of Southwold to the seaside village of Thorpeness.

The latter is famous for its highly unusual House in the Clouds - a tall water tower converted to include a residential property - which stands out spectacularly on the skyline.

Simon and Deb were also invited to check out a market town hotspot that would whisk them to London Liverpool Street in less than a hour on the train, if they chose to travel.

Their budget certainly wouldn't have left them with a shabby property, as they had more than double the average amount needed for a detached house in the region (£457,000).

However, turning to presenter Denise Nurse to reveal at the end of the show that they still hadn't made their decision, Simon playfully suggested he still needed more help.

"Can you come with us on every occasion we look at a property? I think we need you!" he joked.

Meanwhile, viewers were tweeting that he should lower his budget for Suffolk, and then use the leftover cash to snap up a villa in Spain as a second home, therefore benefitting from rental income.

"Bet the one in Spain would be miles better!" one viewer insisted.

However, it was revealed that the couple had braved the temperamental British climate after all and, after the show, had splashed their cash on a property with a walled garden in idyllic Franlingham instead.

Escape to the Country airs weekdays at 3pm on BBC One.