Hopeful treasure-hunters came in their hundreds to Saltaire when the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow began filming in the historic village yesterday.

Crowds of people clutching newspaper parcels and battered cardboard boxes containing their family heirlooms poured through the doors of Victoria Hall.

An estimated 1,500 people are thought to have visited during the day.

Some had been queuing for hours with their household treasures and car boot sale bargains, eager to get them valued by the BBC experts.

Presenter Fiona Bruce, who has hosted the show for the past three series, was there to welcome them through the doors and hear some of the fascinating stories behind their antiques.

“People have brought along some really interesting things,” she said. “Someone has just brought in what they said was a crib but, if it is, it is for a six foot baby!

“A police officer has also been in and shown me two Victorian truncheons he brought along with him.”

She added: “What would be nice, given that we are in Saltaire, would be to find something that’s come from here and has links to Saltaire’s history but you never know what is going to turn up – that is the joy of the show.”