A cigar butt discarded by Sir Winston Churchill and picked up by a policeman has sold for more than £4,200.

The item – cast aside by the wartime leader in the 1940s – went under the hammer on Wednesday.

The 7cm-long butt caused a stir at the auction after being expected to sell for as low as £800.

The previous owner’s grandfather, Arthur Church, served as a policeman at Scotland Yard in the 1940s.

While he was on police duty escorting Churchill, the Prime Minister smoked a cigar and Mr Church picked up the discarded butt.

On Wednesday, the item drew significant interest and sold to a UK private collector for a £3,500 hammer price, rising to £4,270 with buyer’s premium.

It was sold by Bellmans auctioneers, based in Wisborough Green, West Sussex.

The high price for the cigar butt shows the enduring taste at auctions for items once owned by Churchill.

In March, a pair of his luxury velvet slippers sold for nearly £40,000.