EXCLUSIVEThe great nuclear bunker race: Britons are snapping up Cold War-era lairs for more than 3 times the asking price while fallout shelters are flogged on eBay amid threat of WWIII
As Russia threatens the West with nuclear apocalypse, nations across the globe are bracing for World War Three and the catastrophic devastation the worst of modern warfare could bring.
As Russia threatens the West with nuclear apocalypse, nations across the globe are bracing for World War Three and the catastrophic devastation the worst of modern warfare could bring.
As Vladimir Putin has officially lowered the threshold needed for Moscow to consider a nuclear strike, European nations are gearing up for all-out war on the continent.
And back in the UK, terrified Brits are scrambling to find cover if the nation is struck - with nuclear bunkers built during the Cold War soaring in demand.
Hollow shells ready to be dug into a fearful residents garden are being flogged on eBay for nearly £10,000.
Royal Observer Posts, designed to protect observers 15ft below the surface, are being snapped up for well over their asking price.
And now specialist companies are even offering to build fully-fitted prefabricated structures - saying they have seen a huge increase in inquiries following the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
But how much does this cost, and would it really protect you in a nuclear war? MailOnline looks at the options below:
Its believed that the bunker, known as Upton ROC, detected radioactive material that spread from the Chernobyl nuclear powerplant disaster in Ukraine in 1986
This newly-decorated bunker in Cumbria, was bought for £48,000 despite a guide price of just £15,000.
This bunker in Amersham boasts cosy furnishings, although the framed picture of a nuclear explosion on the wall might not feel very cheerful. The structure sold for £36,000 in September
INVEST IN COLD WAR STRUCTURES
This is not the first time that Brits have laid awake at night terrified of nuclear war.
And bunkers built to protect essential personnel still lie waiting across the country, prepared for the next threat to strike.
With many decommissioned by the military, more than 1,500 Nuclear Monitoring Posts remain hidden after they were gradually sold off as tensions between the West and the USSR quietened.
Built 15 feet below the ground, the standard design includes a toilet and monitoring room for observers to wait out the blast.
SDL auctions have sold three since July and each has far exceeded their estimated value, with one, in Cumbria, being bought for £48,000 despite a guide price of just £15,000.
Buyers were possibly attracted by the redecoration of the small property, which came with its own plot of land, secure off-road parking, a working landline and the potential to have broadband installed.
An underground bunker in Repps with Bastwick, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, with no running water or electricity will also go up for auction next month.
It features protective, but extremely limited accommodation, for three observers in the event of a nuclear attack, and is expected to fetch £10,000 to £20,000.
Also on offer is a 15ft underground nuclear bunker in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, which has been transformed into a quirky space by current owner Jon Graves.
It now contains beds, space for record music, and operates as a convenient get-away from the noise outside.
Businessman and father of three Graves, 37, said he he had lots of fun transforming the ex-Royal Observer Corps pit, but is putting it up for auction while he makes plans to emigrate to Dubai with his family in the new year.
Jon Graves, 37, is currently selling an ex-Royal Observer Corps pit which he says he had lots of fun doing at its site in Pontefract, West Yorkshire
Mr Graves deliberately chose to renovate the subterranean structure with items harking back to the period when it was in use
Another structure in Buxton, Derbyshire, sold in September for £36,000, beating the £15,000 - £20,000 guide price.
Despite being fully equipped to save peoples lives in case of a meltdown, the underground lair has no toilet, but it does come with a giant picture of a nuclear explosion on one wall, velvet curtains, a log burner and space for a double bed.
Auctioneer Jim Demitriou of SDL, who has sold several of the properties, says that he has had an influx of interest from history buffs wanting to preserve post-war Britain.
But Russ McLean, who set up Unique Property Bulletin in 1987, has said his company has had to stop advertising bunkers after helping to sell as many as 14 underground sanctuaries in the last 20 years.
He previously said that in the fist six months of the war in Ukraine the group fielded more than 3,300 calls, emails and texts from Brits terrified by what Putin might do.
But now he fears selling the bunkers is taking advantage of peoples fears - and has declined to sell two. He says that he has also seen a rise in people taking the opportunity to sell them.
He told MailOnline: I know that weve turned down two. We used to quite happily feature them at the moment, not so much. It doesnt feel right at the moment - its almost taking advantage of peoples concerns.
There is an uptick just now with people that are interested or wanting to know more.
I dont like these bunkers . Its like climbing into a grave early. For older people theyre not particularly endearing!
Its strange feeling in these - for me there was an empathy with the guys who had been there as part of their duty, three in room. It was the family thing - thinking youre down there and your familys slow cooked on Gorbachevs microwave.
The former police officer continued: Its a Churchillian thing. I wouldnt say Ive spoken to anybody thats scared at all, but they are bothered about the family, and they want to take some precautions.
An underground bunker in Repps with Bastwick, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, with no running water or electricity will also go up for auction next month and is expected to fetch up to £20,000
The 14ft underground bunker in Wormhill, near Buxton in Derbyshire, was sold at auction on September 26
The bunkers, such as this structure in Wormshill, near Buxton, were designed to provide protective accommodation for three ROC employees to survive a nuclear attack
What I do know is that we have noticed that theres more of these things sold - before it was one a year, maybe three years. Now its almost one a month.
Theres actually almost a palpable spirit of anger. They just want to get on with their work, their lives, their families. And this madman in Russia - hes not helping anybody.
The bunkers were designed to provide protective accommodation for three ROC employees to survive a nuclear attack.
Whilst staying there they were expected to report on the nuclear bursts and on the fall out of a nuclear attack.
They were provided with enough food and water for fourteen days and had a land line and radio communications available to them.
CREATE YOUR OWN
But Brits do not need to hunker down in decades-old bunkers, as a series of companies offer the option of building underground refuges that could withstand a nuclear blast.
Burrowed, who specialise in underground structures designed to be integrated with nature have turned their hand to creating prefabricated underground bunkers.
With a selection of sizes and luxury options, price options range between £84,000 and £143,000 for a 16 metre model to accommodate as many as eight people. Each size has a three metre diameter.
But if you are DIY-handy, prices can go as low as £19,500 if you buy the structure on its own.
They have just received an order for their first bunker - which will also be used as an underground DJ studio to make full use of the space.
Matt Wright, the companys director, told MailOnline: We get a lot of inquiries that come through. What weve always done is build underground structures, but theyve often been used for holiday accommodation.
Burrowed, who specialise in underground structures designed to be integrated with nature have turned their hand to creating prefabricated underground bunkers
With a selection of sizes and luxury options, price options range between £84,000 and £143,000 for a 16 metre model to accommodate as many as eight people. Each size has a three metre diameter
But now people are wanting bunkers with what is going off in Ukraine. Weve had thousands of inquiries.
Initially we got a couple of inquiries asking, then we did some product development and research, and then actually introduced them as a product. Since then were getting inundated on our website.
Its surprising the sheer volume of inquiries - there are several per day, just for bunkers.
Burroweds bunkers have adapted the culvert pipe design, which uses the strength of the earth as the main protection.
But instead of the traditional steal they use a plastic structure that can be used in the UKs ground conditions. Their bunkers
Basement specialists Subterranean Spaces UK also offer the opportunity to creat nuclear bunkers beneath their clients homes, which also protect against radioactive debris or Fallout.
They include blast doors to access the shelter and shielding to protect against gamma ray exposure. There are also internal air cooling systems and a septic tank for sanitation.
EBAY
For those who are not looking for a new bunker, Ebay also has options as Brits flog their old refuges.
One is currently being flogged for £9,250 on the second-hand website, described as an Underground Bunker World War Three Metal Shelter Nuclear Bomb Food Store Preppers.
Photos of the huge metal cannister show it being lifted high into the air above a garden fence by a straining lorry.
Others show the cavernous inside, with two people pressure washing the metal and a bright light shining from the top.
It also comes with a set of stairs to lead above ground, which comes off to the side of the cylindrical home.
Hedging their bets, the seller has also described it as a man cave, a pub, a bar, a gentlemens room, a fall out shelter and a shed.
Interested buyers will have to collect it in person from Horsham, near Brighton.
One bunker is currently being flogged for £9,250 on the second-hand website, described as an Underground Bunker World War Three Metal Shelter Nuclear Bomb Food Store Preppers
It also comes with a set of stairs to lead above ground, which comes off to the side of the cylindrical home
Others show the cavernous inside, with two people pressure washing the metal and a bright light shining from the top
WHAT TO DO IF YOU CANT AFFORD A BUNKER
For many people, the prospect of spending thousands on a possible sanctuary is far too expensive.
But there are still options for them, especially as many will be able to survive the initial blast.
Dan, who runs Start Prepping UK, says that he has had a vast influx of worried emails from people who are unsure what they can do if the bombs do start falling.
He said: Bunkers are life rafts for people who can afford them, and everybody else is in a bit of trouble. Thats not to say that theres nothing that ordinary people can do.
With things like nuclear war, it does feel like a binary whether we are either annihilated or not.
There would be a lot of areas in the UK that would not be damaged, even if we were hitting several warheads.
Im not going to tell anyone they shouldnt get a bunker. If I could afford one, I would have one - but I live in a terrace house in a city so my offs of getting one put in the yard are pretty slim.
But I think they should try their best to ensure that the people around them can avail of that protection as well, because itd be a pretty lonely existence if you were the only one that made it through.
Dan, who runs Start Prepping UK , says that one of the best things you can do is keep your shelves stocked with food you like. Pictured: A preppers shelves in Washington, US
Dan explained that being prepared is not a binary - and it is simply about being better prepared than you might have been.
He continued: One of the best things you can do for your for your neighbors and your community is to make is to make it so that youre not one of the people that needs an aid package.
If your family and your immediate friends, if they dont need to be in a queue for an aid package, then that means the people that didnt have the chance to prepare or didnt have the funds are able to get what they need.
You can get all of your documents together where you can access them really quickly - the things you would need to prove who you are and rebuild your life if you had to go somewhere quickly.
I generally tell people to start by preparing for the everyday emergencies, make sure that you have adequate clothing for the weather, make sure that you your home is well maintained, and that is adequate to the task.
Its a lot of very common sense stuff on that that tends to be boring. Theres a lot of preppers that go straight in with the really cool machetes and motorbikes stuff - it takes me ages to get to those!
For food and water, my recommendation is to get three days of stuff in. My food stockpile, for lack of a better term, is actually just well stocked cupboards.
