FOR SALE

Not bowled over with offers: Andrew Flintoff has knocked £500,000 off the asking price of his Cheshire home after it failed to sell at £5 million

Located in the heart of affluent Cheshire, the property boasts two swimming pools in the basement, en-suite bedrooms and a home cinema and is located on one of the most expensive streets in the UK.

Nearby neighbours include millionaire footballers, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez and singer Noddy Holder.

The house even has a 'smart system' built into it which can control everything from running your bath, closing your curtains, turning on the sprinklers in the garden and ensuring the security and safety of the building.

But the house has languished on the market for more than 10 months forcing Flintoff, 32, to bring down his asking price by a 10 per cent.

It is now on the market for £4.49m the hope of attracting a fresh wave of millionaire property hunters.

Roomy: The kitchen is long enough for the cricketing hero to get in a bit of batting practise

Pool with a view: The gym looks out onto the water of the adult and children's splash pads

Although it has just one previous owner, the property is in pristine condition because Flintoff and his wife Rachael, have not spent a single night in the house.

Instead they moved their family to Dubai so the all-rounder could play in the lucrative Indian Premier League.

Fed-up Flintoff has even switched estate agents, who have produced a glossy new brochure, in the hope of luring a buyer.

A source said: 'Freddie has been left stumped as to why the house hasn't sold at the £5million asking price.

'It really is a stunning property and in the most prestigious road in the area. He decided to switch estate agents and knock £500,000 off the asking price.

'It has been on the market since February and at one point someone made a realistic offer on it but the deal fell through.'

Wet room: The bathroom has a freestanding bath tub and a huge walk-in shower

Moving on: Andrew Flintoff with his wife Rachel plan to retire to Dubai

The source added: 'Quite a few Premier League footballers have been shown around it but were put off by the asking price. It should sell close to the new price and will likely go to a local footballer. Freddie is hoping that the new price will help bowl over prospective buyers.'

The 2005 and 2009 Ashes hero, who announced his retirement from all cricket in September, bought the property in October 2007 for £1,85m from Fulham manager Mark Hughes.

Despite paying a fortune for the property Flintoff immediately called in bulldozers and ordered them to raze the house to the ground.

Hughes' property development company had already secured planning permission to knock down the original house and replace it with a much bigger home.

But Flintoff wanted a pad around twice the size of the previous property with a vast leisure and games complex in the basement.

So he set about designing a luxury family home for his wife Rachael and their three children Holly, now six, and Corey, four and Rocky, two.

The source added: 'When Freddie first bought the house he planned to redevelop it and retire there. When Freddie bought it he submitted his own plans to create a super-home, there was a lot of objection to it because people thought it was far too big but after initially withdrawing the plans he was successful in getting the go ahead.

'He has been involved in every process of the design stage and it was really tailored to his exact requirements.

'It even has two pools in the basement - one for the adults and a splash pool which would have been for his children. He even had a mosaic of the Ashes urn put in the pool and there are other cricket motifs including a set of wickets carved above the front door.

Last December the road (Withinlee Road) was named the costliest street for property outside of South England in the annual 'top streets' table compiled by the Halifax.

Flintoff's house is the most expensive property ever to be offered for sale on the exclusive road