A CHINESE gilt Buddha-style figure set the house record for a single item sold at auction during a sale at Hannam's Auctioneers new premises in Selborne last month.

In an exciting bidding session, the battle for the Chinese Qing Dynasty buddhistic figure, attracted four red hot phone lines, one linked to a top Chinese collector.

While the item was expected to fetch in the region of £10,000, it was eventually knocked down to a delighted buyer at a whopping £26,000.

For full story, see this week's Alton Herald.