Derbyshire nuclear fallout bunker goes under the hammer

The bunker was built in 1961 - as nuclear tensions heightened between the USA and the USSR over Cuba

A Cold War-era nuclear fallout bunker in the Derbyshire countryside is up for auction.

The bunker was built on a hilltop near Stanton-by-Bridge in 1961 as a secure base to observe nuclear attacks.

Below its steel hatch are original features, including a safety notice and the remains of a telephone system.

Auctioneers Bagshaws have listed a guide price of between £2,000 and £3,000 when it goes under the hammer later this year.

A steel ladder leads down to three rooms

John Wathen from Bagshaws said the bunker - known as Nuclear Fallout Observation Bunker (Post 31 Group 8) - was built by the Royal Observers Corps in the same year as the Bay of Pigs invasion and the construction of the Berlin Wall began.

The regiment built more than 1,500 similar monitoring posts across the country between 1956 and 1965.

There is no running water or electricity but it is a "relic of the Cold War", said Mr Wathen.

Entrance to the bunker is via a steel hatch

From the steel hatch, there is a ladder leading down to a lobby area and two other rooms.

Mr Wathen said he has had various expressions of interest from people who want to use it to grow vegetables, for storage - and even somewhere to play snooker in peace.

Some of the original features, including this safety warning, are still inside

The bunker was built on a hilltop to provide a vantage point to observe the effects of a nuclear attack

Bagshaws auctioneers say it is a "relic" of the Cold War