Lennon wrote early Beatles hits in the house

A private property sign warned visitors over the years that they were unwelcome, but this did not deter up to 250 people arriving daily to look at Mendips - which is listed on several tours of Liverpool.

Roy Burkey told The Independent newspaper: "The house did become a bit of a burden to my dad because some of the fans who visited were very intrusive."

And his late father said in 1995 that he had been "besieged by tourists".

Now Roy Burkey is hoping to exploit that interest and double the local estate agents' �150,000 valuations by advertising the house for sale on the internet.

'Happy home'

An oval plaque, unveiled on the 20th anniversary of Lennon's death, hangs above the porch where he used to play his guitar with his fellow Beatles, Sir Paul and George Harrison.

It was where he first learnt to play the guitar and wrote some of the early hits for the Beatles, including Please Please Me.

Roy Burkey said: "On the few occasions he [my father] did decide to let people look around, something always went missing.

"But it's a lovely house and holds fond memories for me - I lived there for 10 years and it was a very happy home."