Hundreds of paintings discovered at the home of an artist after his death have raised thousands of pounds for charity.

Rolling landscapes and still lifes painted by Ernest Charles Simpson fetched about £14,000 at an auction in the artist's home town of Ilkley yesterday.

About 200 bidders, including many close friends of the late painter, turned up to Hartley's auctioneers in Little Lane to purchase some of his most stunning and original work.

Mr Simpson and his wife Violet, aged in their early 90s, died after a road accident in the Lake District in late June.

Mr Simpson's niece, Deborah Davitt, visited his house after the tragic incident and found so many paintings and drawings that she eventually had to stop counting when they passed the 300 mark.

Amid an electric atmosphere at yesterday's auction, bids for his work varied from as little as £30 to £320. Afterwards, bidders paid tribute to Mr Simpson, who they described as a modest, friendly man.

Fellow artist and long-term friend Shirley Dowe, 74, who was one of the highest bidders at £320, said: "He was a lovely man and would always stop for a chat.

"Both he and his wife were very sprightly - even in their nineties. He was an excellent painter whom I admired very much. I didn't realise the proceeds of the sales were going to charity but it seems fitting for such a generous and thoughtful man."

Mr and Mrs Simpson, who had no children, knew each other from childhood and were married at the Church of the Venerable Bede, in Wyther, Leeds, in 1940.

They had a lifelong passion for walking and climbing and were active members of Pudsey and District Rambling Club.

Mr Simpson, a self-taught artist who used to be a textile engineer before becoming a full-time artist in 1972, had a particular love for Wharfedale and Coverdale.

Most of his paintings portrayed the Dales, including some covers he did for The Dalesman magazine. Auctioneer Andrew Hartley said the auction had gone well.

Money raised will benefit the British Heart Foundation, Arthritis Research Campaign, Cancer Research Campaign and Take Heart, based at Leeds General Infirmary.