Robb Banks has had his prized front garden trashed after losing a furious bidding war with his next-door neighbour.

He watched in horror as a mechanical digger took minutes to completely destroy the garden he had spent hours cultivating.

The 25ft garden outside his flat near Preston Park, Brighton, is now nothing but a mass of soil and rubble.

But his neighbour, Jon Moore, is heaving a sigh of relief as his garden, which was almost a mirror image of Robb's, has been left intact.

Robb and Jon were excited when they each received a call from the BBC saying they wanted to film both gardens for a TV series and it would involve money.

They even joked about TV stars Charlie Dimmock or Alan Titchmarsh turning up.

As promised, the TV crew arrived on time and started to film each front garden and the pair were asked questions about the plants they were growing.

They thought something was amiss when a mechanical digger kept on driving up and down the road outside.

Then a TV reporter turned up and told the two gardeners the digger had been ordered to destroy one of the gardens - but would only start work if they agreed to accept a cash sum to compensate for the damage.

There then followed a bidding war to see how much Robb and Jon valued their gardens.

Starting off at £32, the amount rose as both Robb and Jon said their gardens were worth more than the cash they kept on being offered.

But Robb gave in when the money reached £1,000 and the digger began destroying his rockery, lawn and plants including gladioli and lavender.

He had fallen victim to a new series called Resistance, which will be first shown on the BBC Choice channel in the autumn. It will test how much people value their property and possessions compared to cash.

Surveying his rubble and earth, Robb, 34, an interior designer, said: "I was taken in hook line and sinker. I have been a complete mug but I suppose I have £1,000, which I can spend on returning the garden to its former glory."

Jon, 36, said: "You would not have got me selling out for £1,000 after the time I have spent on this. £5,000 and I would have thought about it."