Britons join Americans in buying nuclear bunkers

GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR

Brits are going ballistic for the nuclear bunkers dotted over the UK

APOCALYPSE-fearing Brits have been snapping up a unique 

kind of property: the bombproof nuclear bunkers dotted all 

over the country.

You may never have noticed, but England's green and pleasant land is littered with prime property with real staying power, thanks to an old Cold War-era nuclear defence agency.

Established in 1957, the UK Warning and Monitoring Organisation (WMO) was a civilian agency which aimed to provide Brits with data and fallout forecasts in the event of a nuclear war.

Thankfully, the Cold War passed without any need for the WMO's services, and the organisation was disbanded in 1992.

However, nuclear war is now a hot topic once again, with North Korea's tiny tyrant Kim Jon-un and unpredictable President Trump's war of words threatening to develop into a full-on world war.

And, fearing the worst, British preppers are proving increasingly keen to snap up what remains of the WMO's legacy - the bunkers left behind by the organisation.

A map showing all of the 3,086 WMO bunkers in Britain shows that every area of the country is dotted with the nuclear hidey-holes.

And the 1,500 plus bunkers which are still viable are selling like hotcakes whenever their current owners decide they'd rather take their chances above the surface.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR MARK DENNISON

The WMO bunkers don't look like much, but they could prove to be the difference between life and death

Unique Property Bulletin, a site dedicated to showcasing the most offbeat homes in Britain, reports that every single WMO nuclear bunker they've ever featured has been snapped up.

And last time the bulletin featured one such bunker, it sold in record time.

UKWMO Burscough, near Wigan, was bought for an undisclosed price after just seven days on the market, and is the latest in a long line of bunkers showcased on the site.

The undergound hidey-holes usually sell for over £20,000, despite barely being big enough to swing an atomic kitten in.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR IAN GREENHALGH

UKWMO Burscough, near Wigan, was snapped up earlier this month after just a week on the market

The site has previously featured similar bunkers which proved just as popular, including Ticehurst nuclear bunker, in Wadhurst, which sold for £14,995.

Another WMO post in Machynlleth, Powys, was snapped up for over £18,000, having been barely touched since it was abandoned in 1991.

And last year, WMO Penshurst, in Kent, was sold for a bumper £29,950 - with the bunkers more valuable the closer they are to London and the Home Counties.

UPFS.CO.UK

Ticehurst nuclear bunker was among the many bomb-shelters which have sold like hot cakes in recent years, going for £14,995

UNIQUEPROPERTYBULLETIN.ORG

Pictured here, the UKWMO Post in Powys sold for north of £18,000

The property bulletin notes: "More UKWMO bunkers needed. We have a growing list of folk seeing this style of property."

And the unique property specialists told the Sun Online that there's no sign of this interest letting up.

A spokesperson said: "The last bunker, we didn't even put it on the website because [the seller] had already taken an offer.

"As soon as you put a bunker on the website you'll get three or four times the hits of any other listing."

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The bunkers have a sinister yet understated look from the outside

UNIQUEPROPERTYBULLETIN.CO.UK

This bunker in Essex sold for a bumper price thanks to its proximity to the capital

On the surface, the bunkers don't look like much at all.

And on the inside, they are equally unimpressive - apart from their one selling point: hiding out in one of these bad boys could literally be the difference between life and death.

Lucky residents have to open a hatch on the surface and climb down a claustrophobic ladder shaft to get to the nuclear bunker itself.

This leads to a decontamination room, designed to wash any radioactive matter from anyone who enters.

The tight living space offers enough room to store all the bottled water and tinned food you'd need to survive the end of the world, but that's about it.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR IAN GREENHALGH

The cramped Burscough bunker clearly needs some work to make it a liveable alternative to the radioactive wasteland outside

Pictures from the Burscough bunker, near Wigan, show how cramped the space is, with the bomb-proof refuge desperately in need of a lick of paint.

In fact, it's harder to imagine a bleaker place to wait out the apocalypse.

But for many Brits, the choice is clear: they'd rather be on the inside when the bombs start dropping.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR IAN GREENHALGH

The claustrophobic bunkers usually sell for around £14,000-£18,000

Previously, we revealed how Americans started dusting down their Cold War nuclear shelters in case current global tensions keep on ratcheting up.

We also told how close the Cold War came to heating up... thanks to the chilling close calls which could have plunged us into nuclear war.