THE owner of a luxury flat has hit out at critics who labelled her as a "scammer" after the apartment was scrapped as a prize in a raffle.

Thousands of people gambled £2 on tickets in the hope of winning the stunning £800,000 property in Palmeira Square, Hove.

However, the prize was scrapped after tickets sales fell well short of the property's value.

Critics labelled owner Fiona Koderisch as a "scammer" for changing the prize to £30,000, instead of the luxury apartment valued at almost £1 million.

Now, Mrs Koderisch has vowed never to do another raffle again and slammed entrants for claiming she had ripped them off.

The Argus can confirm that Brighton-based charity Rockinghorse did receive a donation of almost £12,000 from the prize money raised.

The Argus: A stunning bedroom inside the luxury Brighton flat A stunning bedroom inside the luxury Brighton flat

And Fiona said she is as "disappointed as anyone" that the raffle did not go ahead as planned.

She said: "My website guy had a problem with the software and some tickets didn't upload property.

"We didn't sell enough tickets and I can't give the house way for ten per cent of what it is worth.

"The deal was if there weren't enough tickets sold they would get 80 per cent of the ticket sales after all the costs.

"I can't give away the prize, it is worth a lot of money, my flat.

"Ten thousand people participated - that is it and we needed to have at least 100,000 people participating.

The Argus: The flat is spacious and light The flat is spacious and light

"Why would it be a scam when we are trying to award someone £30,000 as a prize?

"I haven't personally made any money, I have just had stress and I don't think I am a scam artist."

The terms and conditions on the raffle states that if the minimum number of paid entries were not achieved, then the winner would receive a cash payment of 80 per cent of ticket sales, after marketing expenses and the charity's 10 per cent donation.

It reads: "If the minimum number of paid entries is not achieved the winner will receive a cash payment of 80 percent of ticket sales after marketing expenses have been deducted, the charity will receive 10 per cent of all ticket sales whether the minimum is achieved or not."

The Argus: A lucky winner could have won the flat but the prize was scrapped A lucky winner could have won the flat but the prize was scrapped

The three-bedroom flat in the Grade II listed Rochester Mansions building is a short walk from the beach and also offers the prospective winner a wealth of period features including a grand pillared entrance.

There are high ceilings and oak floors, with a spacious reception room and bright kitchen offering vistas of both the bustling city and serene seafront.

Other features include a free-standing bath in one bathroom and an en-suite shower room which is accessible from the master bedroom.

It is understood the flat has now be placed on the market for an asking price of £750,000.