The businessman whose yard was searched for five days by Flying Squad officers hoping to find the stolen Brinks-Mat gold is claiming compensation.

Ronald Winchester, owner of R Winchester & Son in Ore, near Hastings, estimates the treasure hunt has cost his business at least £20,000.

Metropolitan Police officers have called off their search for gold bullion stolen during the 1983 raid on a security firm's vaults at Heathrow Airport.

Officers spent five days digging and searching with sophisticated scanning equipment at Mr Winchester's timber yard and builder's warehouse but found nothing.

Mr Winchester said: "We are all pleased that it is over. It has been a very difficult few days for everyone here.

"The disruption it has caused has been massive and we shall be trying to get compensation.

"It has been a real ordeal. It has been like a mental form of rape. It's not just the cost of getting things back to normal but it's the harm which has been done to our reputation after 30 years in business."

Officers started the search after new information came to light which suggested part of the bullion may have been buried at the yard.

It is thought about £10 million is still missing from the £26 million Brinks-Mat robbery carried out when a bribed security guard let six armed men into a warehouse.

About £17 million of the cash realised from the gold has been accounted for by police, with the rest allegedly invested in property or drugs.

Mr Winchester believed it would take him at least a month to get his business running smoothly again.

He said: "All the Flying Squad officers were very good and understanding, although obviously it was a shock to find them turning up on my doorstep.

"Right up until the end I was waiting for Jeremy Beadle to arrive - but he never did."