A model village which found itself the surprise owner of a Banksy artwork sold for £1m at auction has changed hands.

Frank and Frances Newsome who took over almost five years ago at Merrivale in Great Yarmouth say the decision was forced on them after Mr Newsome had a heart attack just before Christmas.

"That has dictated everything," Mr Newsome said.

"We thought about putting managers in but I would not have stayed away.

"We do not want to leave but it has been forced on us.

"We have put a lot of time and effort and love into the place. It just gets hold of you.

"We are both so upset, but we have had so many good wishes from people we have met

"But we do need to find another business because we cannot afford to be doing nothing."

He said the deal had come "out of the blue" and had only been sealed on Saturday (March 26).

It hadn't been advertised but Mr Newsome said he had had several approaches from people who had heard about his ill health and wondered if he wanted to carry on or would take an offer.

Merrivale found itself in the global spotlight after the anonymous street artist Banksy deposited a stable emblazoned with the slogan "Go Big or Go Home" among the buildings in the diminutive village.

The piece was part of Banksy's self-declared Summer Spraycation last August - seen at the time as an endorsement of Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft's joint bid for UK City of Culture status.

Banksy verified the Merrivale stable as his own when it was included in the video The Great British Spraycation.

However, it proved something of a mixed blessing the costs of insurance, security and the stress of keeping it safe taking its toll on the couple, who nevertheless always said they were grateful for their moment in the spotlight.

The stable was sold by Anderson and Garland Auctioneers in Newcastle, as part of their Modern Art and Design auction in January, and was bought by a private UK buyer for £1m.

On Sunday (March 27) the new owner Dean Gray was at the village being given a tour by Mr Newsome having taken over the day before.

The 32-year-old from Bradwell will be joined at the helm by his partner Sophie and said visitors could expect to see some changes.

Mr Gray who runs the catering at the nearby Pleasure Beach and comes from a showman's background said: "This came up, we had a talk with Frank and we took over yesterday.

"I cannot wait to get started.

"There are so many things we are going to do and today we are just having a walk round and making a list.

"People will see a big difference. There will be a lot of new things coming in. It's just about time and money.

"The place is iconic and it needs to be here for the future.

"It will remain the same, but better. We just want to improve it."

Mr Newsome said he was happy to hand over to Mr Gray, who he described as "a local lad who is easy to get on with."

The attraction opened for the season on Saturday and will be welcoming visitors every day until October.

As well as a scale model of the original Banksy stable, new for this year is a miniature version of the Banksy Spraycation which is almost complete with just two of the works yet to go in.

Mr Newsome said the new installation had been a significant investment.