The heir to a property in Normandy moved in only to find his forebear had hidden 100kg of gold coins, bars and ingots around the house, which he has just sold for €3.5m.

The unnamed individual made the incredible discovery after inheriting the plush home in Evreux, a town south of Rouen.

He started looking around the house to work out what his relation had left behind, and was stunned at what he found, according to the auction house of Evreux, which sold the entire collection.

“There were 5,000 gold pieces, two 12-kilo gold bars and 37 ingots each weighing one kilo,” said Nicolas Fierfort, auctioneer at the Evreux maison de ventes (auction house).

The fabulous, unexpected family fortune was stuffed all over the house, he told AFP.