OXFORDSHIRE’S bidders were more than willing to step up to the plate at an unusual auction.

About 1,500 personalised number plates went under the hammer during a three-day sale at the Williams F1 Conference Centre in Grove, near Wantage.

Number plates on offer at last week’s auction included 555 A, WE11 HOT, 8 000, and XXX 8OX.

But the most expensive plate on offer was 43 O, which had a reserve of £10,000 on it and ended up going for a total of £22,397.

The auction raised £3.2m, which will go to the Treasury.

Jody Davies, auction event manager for the DVLA, said: “The atmosphere is always good at the auction.

“On the first day we managed to sell more than 350 and make more than £700,000.”

One of the surprises of the auction was MA10 NEY, which went for a final price of £21,236.

Damian Lawson, marketing manager for DVLA personalised registrations, said: “While bidding has been frenetic as always, with high prices fetched for popular combinations, there were also bargains to be had at relatively low prices.”

The auction was continuous over the whole of the three days, with three auctioneers rotating over the course of each day.

Some 150 bidders were present at the conference centre, others took part by telephone, internet and text.

Registered bidders were also given free access to the Williams museum, which displays one of the largest collections of Grand Prix cars under one roof, including the Williams’ FW14 which powered Nigel Mansell to his then record-breaking championship title with nine Grand Prix wins in a season.

Other personalised registration plates can be seen at the website dvlaregistrations.direct.gov.uk.