SPOOKY figures from an award-winning exhibition have finally seen the light of day after being locked up for almost six years.

The Timewalk figures were at risk of being sent to landfill, it is claimed, until they were rescued and brought back out into public view.

The popular attraction closed in 2010 and the life-size models which recreated scenes from Weymouth’s history were put away in a room on the fourth floor of Brewers Quay.

But with the museum now back up and running, more storage space was needed, and the quiet retirement home of the figures was an obvious choice.

Mike Ellery, of Brewers Quay Emporium, said he was approached by the museum to see if he would like to buy the figures to sell on, as an alternative to them being thrown away.

He now has 18 – including King George III in a nappy and a particularly grisly plague victim – with another six going to other buyers.

Mr Ellery said he would love to keep them and display them, but lacks the space.

“I have put one on the sofa in the café, and arranged it so he is reading the menu. People love him and lots come to have their pictures taken. But to put them all out properly I would need four times as much room, and also I would worry about them breaking if they got knocked over.”

He added: “They are quite scary looking, they would certainly scare children. At the minute most of them are locked up so they can’t run around and cause havoc. We have played one or two jokes on the staff, turning out the lights and moving them around.”

Mr Ellery said he was pleased to take on the figures as they’re a part of Weymouth history themselves.

“We collect and sell lots of unusual items, so these fit in perfectly. I took my own daughters to the Timewalk and it was great for visitors but for locals you went once, or maybe twice and then there didn’t seem much point in going again.

“A lot of people have said I should keep them together and put them on display again but I don’t have the room. Unfortunately the Timewalk is gone, but at least this way the figures are not going to landfill.”

The Timewalk closure was announced in 2010 at a public exhibition which unveiled plans for an upmarket development at the Brewers Quay site.

Brewers Quay LLP, the company behind the plans, said at the time that visitor numbers to the Timewalk had dropped ‘dramatically’ over previous years.