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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Charlie Duffield

Cold War nuclear bunker on sale for £25k with gas masks included in case of Russia attack

A nuclear bunker from the Cold War era, fitted with body bags, gas masks and a red telephone box, has gone on sale for £25,000.

The Royal Observer Corps monitoring post in Louth, Lincolnshire was bought on eBay on a whim nearly 20 years ago.

However, despite growing fears of nuclear war because of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, its owner intends to sell it.

64-year-old Mark Colledge bought the underground vault, which is situated beneath a field between the A16 London Road and Kenwick Hill.

It can only be accessed down a 14-foot shaft, after the army veteran bought it for the price of £12,500 in 2003, having viewed it online.

A cold war nuclear bunker kitted out with gas masks and body bags has gone on sale for just £25K (North News & Pictures Ltd northnews.co.uk)

He said: 'It was built the year I was born and I think I bought it due to a bit of a midlife crisis. I thought 'that's cool' and decided I wanted it.

"I keep a caravan close by and have been using it as a kind of holiday home. I sleep in the bunker, and shower in the caravan.

"I am selling because it seems to be a good time given the global crisis, and I haven't been there in years. I'd like some cash to go on holiday.

"I have body bags in there and some gas masks. That goes back to my army training and what to do in an attack.

"There's a bed and sleeping bag but that's pretty much it.

"There's also a red box telephone so in the event of a nuclear attack, that's the only phone that will work - not that there'll be many phones left to call.

"It has solar and wind power too," he told the Daily Mail.

Mark Colledge - who purchased the underground vault, in Louth, Lincolnshire, on eBay for £12.5k in 2003 - decided to sell amid fears of nuclear war at the hands of Russian leader Vladimir Putin (North News & Pictures Ltd northnews.co.uk)

The small vault only fits three people and was built in 1959 in response to the growing threat of nuclear attack in the 1950s.

In the event of nuclear attacks, three observers would have taken shelter in the hold, and reported on the fallout.

The observers had adequate food and water to sustain them for two weeks, alongside landline telephones and radio communication.

The bunker is based near Louth, and looks identical to over 1,500 constructed around the UK from the later 1950s onwards.

They weren't cheap to make, costing as much as an average terrace house to build.

Soldiers stopped using the hideaways for weekly training following the collapse of the Soviet Union; they were decommissioned in 1991.

In September of that year, the remaining underground posts were shut, and only 258 of the wardens currently exist.

In September of that year, the remaining underground posts were shut, and only 258 of the wardens currently exist (North News & Pictures Ltd northnews.co.uk)

Mark, of Saltburn-by-the-sea, added: "When I bought it, I think it was a male menopause type of thing, like buying a new car.

"I would just be happy to get my money back."

Jim Demitriou, national valuer at SDL Property Auctions, said: "It's a great property for people looking for something off-grid or to get away from it all.

"It's a piece of British history so it could be nice for someone interested in historic places.

"I would advise buyers to speak with planning permission or their local council to see what they can do with it.

"We've had about four or five people enquire about it already, before it was on our site. We're anticipating a flurry of interest in the bunker.

"I'm really excited about this property. I've never sold a nuclear bunker before. The guide price is £25,000 but may the best bidder win."

The property will be auctioned on November 24 with SDL Property Auctions.

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