A mysterious cupboard that remained sealed for more than three decades has been opened - revealing a larder of preserves and canned goods.

Ronald Mclintock, caretaker of Victoria Court in Grand Avenue, Hove, made the find after questioniong why no one had opened the door on the eleventh floor of the tower block.

The key had long since been lost and Mr Mclintock did not know what to expect when he took an angle grinder to the lock.

He said: “It was pure curiosity. I thought it was just going to be full of rubbish so when I popped it open I got quite a shock.

“No one can throw any light on where it all came from.”

The cupboard is at the top the stairwell next to the access point for the building's tank room.

The contents of the cupboard are post decimal 1971 but still have half pence on their prices, which were abolished in 1984 - placing the cupboards final closing sometime in those thirteen years.

Mr Mclintock said: “Apart from an exploded tin of prunes, it was in perfect condition.”

The well organized cupboard contained items including canned soups, baked beans, several large jars of coffee, unused pots and pans, a variety of cleaning products, powdered milk and jars of preserves.

The items still had price labels on them including from shops such as Sainsburys, Waitrose and simply tagged “International”.

No one in Victoria Court knows why the items would have been stored in such an unusual place or who may have put them there.

Mr Mclintock said: “The seventies was a very uncertain time, with the miner's strikes, the three day week and the cold war - so maybe someone was preparing for the apocalypse.

“I am reluctant to dispose of it as it is a little treasure trove of history.

“Whoever stocked it up must have spent a fortune.”

If you think you know who may have stocked up the cupboard and who held the key call The Argus on 01273 544545.