A LANDLORD with retail premises on the market in Liskeard has jumped on the success of the town's Portas bid by upping the asking  price by £25,000.

The property's for sale price has jumped from £275,000 to £300,000. The landlord, who does not wish to be named, hopes Liskeard's status as one of only 12 new Portas Pilots, created by Mary Portas to help rejuvenate high street shopping, will attract more interest in vacant retail premises.

Miller Commercial which has been handling the sale, has taken the unusual measure of issuing a press release to disassociate itself from the price hike, saying that although it realises the Portas Pilot scheme will undoubtedly create much-needed interest in the town, it would advise owners to be realistic about the prices of their properties if they want to sell.

Rob Redgrave, of Miller Commercial, said: 'Liskeard has been off our radar for a long time. Some premises have been on our books for more than three years. It was not our suggestion that the landlord should up the price of his property. We would prefer prices to come down. It will take a while for the Portas status to have an affect on Liskeard and it is market forces generally that will decide on property prices, not a title.'

Mr Redgrave said he knew of at least one other landlord who is doing the same thing through a different estate agent.

A statement from the Town Team, which put forward the successful Portas bid, said it was both 'surprised and disappointed at the news that at least two landlords had taken such a shortsighted view'. A spokesperson said: 'One of the main thrusts of the Portas Report was that struggling retailers needed a fair deal from landlords. In particular, the report recommended the use of lease structures other than upwards only rent reviews.'

Ian Stevenson, chair of Liskeard Traders Association, said: 'This landlord is a case of "killing the golden goose before it's laid an egg". People are thinking twice before making any entrepreneurial gambles.'

Liskeard Chamber of Commerce chairman Rik Jones said that hiking up the prices of business premises would just about kill the town stone dead.'

Town mayor Tony Powell has slammed the price hike, in his view, as an act of 'gratuitous greed and insensitivity'.