A RARE vintage fighter jet is to go under the hammer in Leominster.

Entering service in 1954, the Hawker Hunter single-seat transonic jet fighter remained in use right up until 2014 when the last one was finally pensioned off by the Lebanese Air Force.

Now one of only 20 surviving jets of its kind is to go on sale at an auction at Brightwells' classic car auction in March.

The jet, which has an estimated value of £20,000 to £22,000, entered service with the Royal Danish Airforce in 1956 as E-408 with ESK-724 Squadron.

It remained in active service until 1974 when it was bought back by Hawker Siddeley to become a pole-sitter at RAF Brawdy in Pembrokeshire.

It later moved to RAF Cranwell and then, in 1988, to RAF Sealand in Flintshire where it was cosmetically restored and repainted as WT720 – the real WT720 being retired in 1964 and scrapped.

It entered private hands with the closure of RAF Sealand in 2006.

The aircraft – which does not fly – comes with a dummy pilot in the cockpit, a stand for it to be mounted on and has removable wings for ease of transport.

Current owner David Charles said: "There's very few left, I'm given to believe there are 20 left in the world.

"It's a vintage aircraft dating from 1956. I think it would be an investment because if you keep it another 10 years or even another generation I can't see it going down in value."

Brightwells say the Hawker Hunter is the 'garden ornament to end all garden ornaments' but would be better housed in a museum where it can be preserved for future generations to experience.

More than 200 classic vehicles are also to go on sale during the auction.

Full details are available online at classiccars.brightwells.com/viewdetails.php?id=6387