UK hoards '£3.5bn treasure trove'

Could there be a £58m Picasso masterpiece in your attic?

Britons have £3.5bn worth of unwanted belongings stored in their homes, a survey has suggested.

More than 20% of people have at least one item worth over £500 in the attic, while over 10% have old clothes or books worth the same, the poll found.

More than three-quarters of those asked had never sold any old belongings, but only 17% kept them because they liked them or they had sentimental value.

TNS surveyed 1,000 adults for NatWest Fast Pay between 16 and 18 April.

NatWest Fast Pay chief David Head said: "It's amazing to see how much money could be made if we were to simply look at the things that we have hidden away in our homes."

Children's schoolwork

Books were the most common item, gathering dust in 20% of homes, while 19% of people hoarded old clothes.

One in ten said they had unwanted antiques, 9% had old vinyl records, and 6% had paintings.

One in 100 people even said they were holding on to things their children had made at school.

Almost half of those polled said they had never thought of selling old possessions or believed they had anything of value.

Among people who had converted unwanted items into cash, the car boot sale was the most popular outlet, used by 35%.

Some 28% had advertised in newspapers and 15% sold items to friends.

The use of online auctions was on the increase, with 8% saying they had sold belongings over the internet.