Pink Floyd pig in Suffolk pop memorabilia auction Published duration 26 August 2015

image copyright PA image caption The pig over Battersea Power Station which famously it broke its moorings and halted flights into Heathrow

Iconic inflatable stage props - including Pink Floyd's famous pig "Algie" - are to be sold at auction.

Halesworth-based Air Artists is selling 30 years' of its work, used by the likes of the Rolling Stones and AC/DC.

The star lot is Algie, which famously halted flights over Heathrow after breaking loose from its moorings over Battersea Power Station in 1976.

Creator Rob Harries said: "It's time for someone else to take them for a walk."

The inflatables were cleared out from the workshop after Mr Harries decided on a change in creative direction and began working with clay.

But the auctioneers selling the props on 15 September say they "really don't know" how much the lots will make because they are so unusual.

image copyright Durrants image caption The Babylonian woman, pictured in the workshop, was one of the stars of the Rolling Stones tour

image copyright Air Artists image caption The Babylonian woman, as she was on the Rolling Stones' set

When Mr Harries saw just how many items had been lying on the shelves for years, he decided they should go under the hammer.

He said: "I'm sad to see them go but they very rarely see the light of day and so I would be quite happy for someone else to take them for a walk.

"The clear-out has been quite cathartic and brought back a lot of memories, but I do feel I've been there and done that now, and it's time to move on."

His favourite item is the pig's head from Roger Waters' Berlin Wall concert, produced back in 1990, but he has produced a wealth of items, including work for the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, and Bon Jovi.

image copyright Air Artists image caption Mr Harries' favourite item is the iconic pig The Wall concert in Berlin

image copyright Air Artists image caption Look to the right of the pigs' head - to see the figure of a man beside him - get an idea of his size

The inflatables were made in plain white fabric, stitched by his partner, Shirley, and then painted by a colleague, Andy Ireland. Most of his work came through a late friend, the rock and roll stage designer Mark Fisher.

Dominic Parravani, for auctioneers Durrants, said: "It seems amazing to me that iconic props that have been seen by millions of people from all around the world have been designed and produced just down the road from here in Halesworth."

image copyright Durrants image caption The star lot is the original pig "Algie" which was recovered from a field in Kent, and is now in the workshop

image copyright AIR ARTISTS image caption The teacher from the Roger Waters concert in Berlin is 47ft-wide, 70ft-deep and 60ft-tall