A TOWN'S forgotten treasures that give a fascinating insight into a bygone age will soon be going under the hammer.Thousands of historic artefacts dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria have spent decades gathering dust in the cellar beneath Sudbury Town Hall.

A TOWN'S forgotten treasures that give a fascinating insight into a bygone age will soon be going under the hammer.

Thousands of historic artefacts dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria have spent decades gathering dust in the cellar beneath Sudbury Town Hall.

Now the forgotten treasure, including historic shop and road signs, war time memorabilia, old school clocks, printing and agricultural equipment and ancient pots and fossils, will soon see the light of day.

Sudbury Town Council has decided to auction off the historic artefacts in a bid to raise funds for the new town museum and heritage centre that is do to open this summer.

First town residents are being given the opportunity to claim any item they believe may be rightfully theirs. Many of the items have been given or loaned to the council over the years and members of the public now have the right to claim them back.

Town clerk Sue Brotherwood said: "Many of the items have been here for decades, some even date back to the Victorian era.

"Some of the items have been chosen to go into the new museum, but there is so much stuff here we have decided to auction it to raise funds for the new centre.

"There is some really fascinating stuff here, I don't let myself come down here very often because I would be here for hours. It shows the history of Sudbury through many decades.

"Before we can auction off the items we are legally bound to offer people the opportunity to claim them, but they will need proof of ownership."

Among the historic gems are World War Two stretchers and bandages that were given to the town by the Ministry of Defence during the conflict.

They were kept in the town in case it was bombed or attacked by the Germans. Originally the town had more than 50 stretchers but most of them were sent to the third world in the mid 1990s.

Other memorabilia includes many historic shop and street signs that no longer exist in the town, including ones for the now defunct Sudbury Borough Council that was replaced by the town council and Babergh District Council in the 1970s.

A range of historic and antique printing, agriculture and fire service equipment and tools are also up for grabs and there is also an early example of an electric fire dating back to 1912.

Ancient hand axes, arrow heads, fossils and clay pots found in the town will also go on sale, along with old tills, and price tags dating back to the 1920s.

A bust of Queen Victoria and a giant clock and bell from Sudbury's old grammar school has also been unearthed.

The sale is due to take place at Oliver's Auctioneers in Sudbury once the public has had the opportunity to claim the items.