THE entire contents of Occombe Farm go under the hammer this week – from knives, forks and spoons to the farm’s iconic blue tractor.

The Fordson tractor with orange wheels, which stands outside the entrance to the shut-down Paignton farm attraction, had only attracted a bid of £201 after the first week of the online auction.

There are 632 lots under the hammer, with the auction due to finish at 10am on Thursday November 27.

Wales-based auctioneers Gavel are selling the contents of the farm on behalf of liquidators PKF Francis Clark, who were called in after the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust (TCCT) collapsed last month.

The trust called in liquidators after reaching a point where it said it had simply run out of money to keep going. As well as Occombe Farm, the trust managed Cockington Country Park, Berry Head and many of Torbay’s other well-known natural attractions. It conserved 1,700 acres of green space in the Bay altogether.

Proceeds from visitors to the farm helped to support local conservation work, but concerns about the long term future of the trust surfaced earlier this year when the farm shop closed. At the time the trust blamed tough economic conditions and rising costs.

In their ‘final statement’ the trustees explained that while Torbay Council had paid it a management fee for its work, it had never been enough to cover the full cost of managing and conserving all the sites for which it was responsible.

The farm first opened as a family attraction in March 2006, and the Fordson tractor with the TCCT logo on the front has been the focus of countless photographs posted online by visitors to the attraction over the years.

It is described by Gavel as non-operational and for display purposes only. Whoever buys it will have to transport it to its new location.

Other items include hedge-cutters, rotovators and a 25-foot static caravan. Lawnmowers and hard hats are included in the sale, as are pressure washers, generators and a selection of road signs labelled ‘Buyer must take all’.

Ovens, griddles and microwaves from inside the award-winning Occombe Farm Cafe are among the items on sale, as are glasses, plates, knives and forks.

Rabbit hutches from the petting zoo are for sale, as is an eight-foot pig shelter.

A quantity of Christmas decorations will also come under the hammer.