A GOLDEN egg made by Cadbury's as part of a chaotic treasure hunt that led to people digging up the countryside is going on sale for £10,000.

The chocolate company commissioned a dozen 22 carat gold and enamel eggs for the competition in 1983.

Certificates entitling the finder to one of the eggs were buried in caskets in secret locations and participants had to unravel cryptic clues to get to them.

But Cadbury's was forced to abandon the competition due to complaints from landowners about hordes of people digging up private property and protected sites.

Of the 12 eggs, six were found before it was axed.

One of those was found by Chris Pinder and his family in a perspex casket buried at a farm near Cricket St Thomas on the Dorset/Somerset border.

The 75-year-old retired zoologist is now selling the egg at auction on Thursday, December 6 with Duke's of Dorchester for £10,000.

He and his brother Neil found the egg buried around 12 inches down.

He said: "Since my brother had the idea where it was we've always gone halves on the egg and since we're both getting on it makes sense to sell it now before things get more complicated."

The 3ins tall golden eggs were made by the former crown jewellers Garrard's.

Deborah Doyle, auctioneer at Duke's, said: "It's an incredible story. Only 12 were made and it is brilliant that this one has come from the person who actually found it and kept it in his possession since.”