HUNDREDS of thousands of pounds worth of memorabilia associated with the doomed ocean liner Titanic was saved after a disastrous flood at a Devizes auction room.

Staff at Henry Aldridge & Son's Bath Road salerooms saw the damage when they opened up to get ready for their regular monthly sale on Saturday.

Brian Badge found water cascading through the ceiling from a burst pipe upstairs. Items being stored for the company's next Titanic sale on September 30 were directly under the pouring water - but most were protected by the boxes they were in.

Auctioneer Alan Aldridge said: "If we hadn't had a sale scheduled for Saturday, I shudder to think what could have happened.

"As it was, our losses will be in five figures. They could have been in six."

Mr Aldridge estimates that £300,000 worth of items was in store ready for the Titanic sale, as well as slightly less valuable pieces for the sales on September 2 and 16.

He said: "Most of the material was in our main room which wasn't so badly affected. As it was, the floors were an inch and a half deep in water throughout the building."

However, some valuable books were affected and have now been sent away to a conservator to see if they can be saved.

A book of bound copies of editions of the Daily Mirror reporting on the Titanic disaster and a rare volume about the sinking of the Lusitania were among those damaged by the water.

Mr Aldridge said he was bowled over by the help he had received.

He said: "The fire brigade were real heroes. They must have saved thousands of pounds worth of artefacts by their quick actions.

"But everyone lent a hand. People who had turned up for the auction got stuck in, forming a human chain to move things away from the water and then grabbing a broom and sweeping the water out. Derek Tinnion at the Spar shop across the road sent over cooked pies and pasties to keep us going during the clear-up.

"A lady from Seend went home and got drying frames, which turned out to be invaluable."

Mr Aldridge's wife Maddy said she could have cried when she saw the damage. She said: "We are having work done at home and the auction room was our little oasis away from that chaos and now it looks like Armageddon."

Other businesses in the former Cross Manufacturing factory were affected as well. Bargain book wholesalers Selectabook also has premises below where the pipe burst. Managing director Chris Sterling said the damage was considerable, although no figure has yet been put on it.