DOZENS of Britons fear they have lost the holiday homes they bought in a pretty Turkish fishing village – after the developer "sold" them to local people.

And now some of the Brits are receiving threatening demands for rent – for the properties they already own.

One of those affected, Sue Emming, is flying to Turkey today to try and sort out the mess.

Ms Emmings, from Exeter, spent about £60,000 buying and furnishing the two-bedroomed apartment in Gulluk – money left to her by her late father.

The 57-year-old went through all the proper legal channels to buy the ground-floor flat in the pristine development.

But she never received the deeds to the property and two weeks ago discovered a Turkish woman had "bought" her flat and was demanding rent for it.

Ms Emmings, a mother of four, invested in the apartment because she has holidayed in Turkey many times and loves the country and its people.

There are 28 apartments in the complex – mainly bought by Britons – and they are all facing the prospect of losing everything.

Ms Emmings said: "I have been lied to left, right and centre. The local builder and his associates are all in it together."

She said she thinks it is "a big scam".

"The police out there are not interested – although one of my neighbours in the apartments contacted me to say the police have raided the builder's office.

"I fell in love with Gulluk. It is a beautiful fishing village and all the gardens with olive trees, the swimming pool and roads had all been finished, it was fantastic.

"I paid for a Turkish solicitor and all the contracts were signed. I even had to have military clearance as a foreigner purchasing a house.

"The apartment cost me £49,500 – and I have paid 90 per cent of it so far, £45,400 – and the balance is in a bank out there.

"But I have never received the deeds. And then two weeks ago this local Turkish woman said she had bought my apartment and she did have the deeds.

"She says she was sold my apartment in June last year. Well I bought it in September 2007 and I have made several trips out there to furnish it and take holidays."

Ms Emmings' anxiety increased last February when the complex was transformed from its pristine state into a bombsite.

She said: "There was total devastation. They said they had really terrible weather.

"But the road had been dug up, the gardens and walls had fallen down. The drains were blocked and the swimming pool was full of rubbish.

"My apartment was damp and all they were doing was painting the walls white to cover over it."

Sue went out in April, June and August and each time less work was being done to sort out the mess.

The RSPCA worker said: "Most of the people affected are English. Some bought more than one apartment. Only a few received their deeds.

"I don't know anything about Turkish law. But even if you pay to build on the land, the landowner still has rights to it. Now the landowner wants his money from the builder and is taking him to court and has frozen his assets.

"And now there is no mains electricity or water to the complex. The whole thing seems to be a scam.

"Some of the British people have gone out there and found the locks have been changed on the apartments they own.

"I don't know what I will find when I get to Gulluk. I cannot people believe can be so damned wicked. The last two weeks have been awful. It is ruining my life.

"The total amount that appears to have been embezzled is £1.446 million. I bought in Turkey because I love the place and the people. I have been told the worst case scenario is I will lose my apartment.

"I cannot afford to spend thousands of pounds on legal fees to fight this. I feel so stupid but what has happened is totally criminal."