AN elderly woman's astonishing hoard of fine china collected over 30 years could end up netting tens of thousands of pounds at auction.

Auctioneers have been staggered by the sheer quantity of china the lady, who is in her 80s, has amassed at her two-bedroom home in County Durham.

The discovery was made during a routine visit by a fine art auctioneer and included hundreds of pieces of Royal Doulton, Worcester, Wedgwood and Royal Copenhagen tea sets and figurines.

The first part of the collection, consisting of 150 pieces, was snapped up by collectors for £14,000 when it went under the hammer at Hall's Fine Art's sale room in Chester.

A second batch of 300 lots, including limited edition figures and jugs, which are said to be in pristine condition, is expected to fetch double that figure when it goes under the hammer later this month.

Auctioneer Adrian Byrne said the high price was due to the sheer size of the collection, the number that were limited editions and the way they were kept in their original packaging. The most valuable item was said to be about £500.

Mr Byrne said: "I have never seen anyone collecting to this before. Much of the collection was unopened and just discarded about the house after every available space was covered in china.

"It appears the lady was a bit of a shopaholic. Relatives had tried several times to try and stem her shopping without success."

The woman's name and address have not been revealed, but she is understood to be now living in a care home.