Bidders at a Leigh auction arrived to find themselves exposed to some very cold calling.

An early viewer at the closing-down sale in Oscar's restaurant, Leigh Hill, Leigh, had helped themselves to vital parts of the heating system.

Quick action by auctioneer Maurice Donn, 77, restored the system sufficiently to prevent the guests from freezing.

"When you've been in this business as long as I have, there's always someone you can call up with the right spare part," Mr Donn, of Westcliff-based Donn and Sons, said. "There's also no surprise left as to the tricks that people get up to."

The sale involved every single fitting and fixture at the 40-year-old restaurant, including items such as the menus, exit signs and toilet seats.

Restaurant manager Peter Moore explained that security had been relaxed in the restaurant prior to the auction.

"Everything was up for sale, and there were all sorts of fixtures like balustrades and light fittings that we couldn't remove for viewing," he said. "So we threw the restaurant open to let people inspect all the items beforehand. Whoever it was must have taken the heating at that stage."

At the start of the auction, Mr Donn revealed that the restaurant, which closed on New Year's Eve, had received 38 separate calls to book a table over the weekend.

"I should have taken the bookings," he joked.

Ironically, there were no bidders for the restaurant's radiator and boiler system