A PIECE of wood which starred in 60s comic caper The Plank amazed experts when it broke the £1,000 barrier at auction.

A frantic bidding war pushed the price-tag up to a whopping £1,050 - more than three times its estimate.

The 6ft piece of wood was signed by the film's big-name cast, including Tommy Cooper, Eric Sykes, Jimmy Edwards and Roy Castle.

The plank ended up in Clacton after a family won it for being the 100,000th visitors at an Ideal Homes Exhibition.

The unlikely star of the 1967 hit comedy film was expected to sell for £300-500 when it went under the hammer at Reeman Dansie auction house in Colchester today.