'Clean and dry' Cold War bunker sells for £48k

A Cold War nuclear bunker has sold for £48,000 - more than double its list price.

The bunker close to Dent station, near Sedbergh in Cumbria, was constructed in the 1950s; one of more than 1,500 built by the Royal Observer Corps (ROC) in that period.

They were designed to protect ROC volunteers following a nuclear attack, allowing them to measure blast waves and radioactive fallout.

The head of the auction house which sold the property, Andrew Parker, said it was a "privilege" to sell a piece of post-war British history.

SDL Property Auctions listed the "clean, dry" hideaway in Cumbria with a guide price between £15,000 to £20,000 earlier this month.

Mr Parker said the bunker, which you have to climb down a 12m (40ft) ladder to reach, came with a plot of land and secure off-road parking.

"It even comes with an active phone line suitable for broadband," he said.

He said the property was in "excellent condition" and had been redecorated.

Most of the bunkers designed by the ROC were decommissioned and sold off in 1993, with many being bought by telecom companies so that they could be used to house mobile phone masts, Mr Parker said.

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