A WORLD War Two pillbox, disguised as a cottage and lying forgotten for decades in a Dunster field, could be snapped up by a Dad’s Army enthusiast for anything from £25,000 to £50,000 when it comes up for auction in February.

The historic pillbox – part of the Somerset coastline defences – is in a corner of the new Castle Fields housing estate site in Marsh Lane.

“It is a rare opportunity to acquire a unique building dating back to the 1940s,” said a spokesman for Clive Emson, land and property auctioneers.

“The property may have potential for a variety of uses, subject to all the necessary consents from the local planning authority.”

To protect it from air attack, the pillbox, which originally housed a light machine-gun, was camouflaged with a pitched slate roof and wooden gables.

According to the Pillbox Study Group, other disguises in the area ranged from farm buildings to summer-houses and even haystacks.