The sale includes a pair of cloth wings from Wing Cdr Gibson's uniform and a copy of his logbook.

West Lindsey District Council says it is "confident" it can afford to buy the former airbase.

Plans for the site to house asylum seekers were scrapped by the government in September.

They have called for urgent talks with the government about the future of the former airbase.

Campaigners say they opposed the plan because it would have harmed the site's historic significance.

The Home Office said on Thursday it had abandoned plans for an asylum centre on the site.

The decision to scrap plans at the former air base has been made by the Home Office.

Steve Jollands initially thought he had bagged a "little memento" for his office.