WHAT NEXT FOR HISTORIC FORT? SURELY IT HASN'T BEEN BOUGHT BY AGENTS FOR MR PUTIN?

Bird's eye view of the estuary-located fort

 AN historic wartime fort strategically located in the mouth of Humber Estuary - and visible from Cleethorpes - has today sold at auction for a stratospheric price.

Pre-sale guide price for the Bull Sand Fort was a modest £50,000, reflecting its difficult-to-access location and its refurbishment requirements.

In the event, the hammer did not come down until bidding had reached a staggering £490,000.

Auctioneers Savills have revealed the identities of neither the vendor nor the purchaser of the Grade II Listed fort.

But the rumour mill has already gone into overdrive with a series of speculative guesses - for instance, that a wealthy twitcher has bought it to see the many rare migratory birds that the structure is thought to attract as they take a breather on their long journeys.

Other idle talk is that a tycoon may have bought it for conversion to a private residence, that an hotel chain may have set its sights on a high-end project and even that a religious order, one with a vow of silence,  may be considering establishing a monastery or retreat.   

Equally fanciful, but more menacing, is the notion that agents for the Russian president have swooped to secure a strategic base for activities that might be hostile to the UK and the extensive shipping that enters and leaves Immingham, Grimsby, Hull and  the many ports served by the Humber.

The fort lacks a garden, but there are plentiful opportunities for fishing.

Any schemes proposed by the purchaser - whoever she or he might be - are subject to consent from various authorities, including Historic England.

The Grimsby News says: Any suggestion that the Russians might be interested in possession of the fort is obviously far-fetched. Or is it? At a time when we are in conflict with a major power, it seems curious that a structure of such strategic significance to shipping should have been put up for grabs to allcomers on the open market. This is no time to adopt a relaxed or casual attitude. If it has not already done so, perhaps the Ministry of Defence should be making a call to Savills to ascertain the identities of he bidding parties, particularly the one that was successful. Unless, of course, that it was the MoD, itself, that bought it.