PHOTO: Auctioneer Charles Baynie at the sale of 52 Chesterfield Rd, Epping. Picture: David Swift. Source:News Limited

Nearly 300 hopeful buyers and neighbours swarmed to the auction of a home where more than 150 dirty needles and other drug paraphernalia were found, launching an unexpected bidding war

It took a forensic clean up team two days to clear up all the needles around the home, but a notorious drug den in Sydney’s north became the site for an unlikely bidding war when it went to auction.

The Epping home sold for nearly $1.73 million, more than $400,000 above the reserve price.

And the crowd of nearly 300 people in attendance included a team of police officers there to ensure the sale went smoothly.

The owner was alleged to have used the property to house parolees and neighbours reported there had been a rise in petty crime since he took possession of the home.

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