THE saying as safe as houses' will take on a whole new meaning when a underground bunker in Hawkshead, built at the height of the Cold War to monitor a nuclear strike against Britain, goes under the hammer at a public auction, reports Luke Dicicco.

Billed as ideal overnight or short-stay accommodation, the jewel in the crown' of the region's - if not Britain's - surviving Royal Observation Corps (ROC) bunkers is expected to fetch around £10,000 at an auction in Lincoln on November 18.

The bunker which is situated on a hilltop next to the village's churchyard and commands panoramic views of the surrounding area was one of 13 in the North West to be put up for sale following a huge clear-out by the ROC last May.

Although a buyer came forward and paid a deposit for the Hawkshead bunker, they mysteriously "disappeared off the face of the earth," said Ron Ward of Lincoln-based chartered surveyors J.H Walter, which is handling the unusual sale.

After cracking open the bunker to find it undisturbed, the decision was made to put it back on the market.

Mr Ward told The Westmorland Gazette that the 15ft by 8ft bunker which is located 15ft underground and includes a small toilet room and entrance shaft was unlikely to provide a permanent home for the buyer.

"Because of its small size, it will never make a permanent home, but it would be a fantastic place for an overnight stop or a short-stay and, of course, the view when you get to ground level is absolutely fantastic.

"It is the view as much as the chance to buy a piece of Hawkshead's and Britain's history that makes the bunker such an attractive and distinctive purchase."

The sale includes a fenced 300 square feet area of land that commands stunning views of the surrounding hills and mountains, Hawkshead village and Esthwaite Water.

The bunker was one of more than 1,500 built across the country in the 1950s amid fears the Cold War would heat up and Britain would be subjected to a nuclear attack.

Other bunkers in the former Westmorland County are inconspicuously located in fields and on hilltops in Dent, Flookburgh, Windermere, Kendal, Tebay, Milnthorpe, Appleby, Kirkby Lonsdale and Kirkby Stephen.

They would have been used by three-man teams to help ascertain the exact location and the effects of a nuclear strike.

Hundreds were decommissioned in the late 1960s following defence cutbacks and the realisation that the threat of nuclear attack was slim. The remainder were finally decommissioned in 1992 following the collapse of the former Soviet Union and the end of the unofficial Cold War.

For more information on the bunker and for further details of the auction, call J.H. Walter on 01522-504304 or visit JHWalter.co.uk.