Rare vase painted by Sir Grayson Perry fetches thousands at Eastbourne auction

• Report by ITV Meridian's Tony Green

A 30-year-old rare vase by artist Sir Grayson Perry has fetched thousands of pounds at an auction in Eastbourne.

The piece entitle Homes not Studios was sold to a telephone bidder at Eastbourne Auctions for £40,000 - the bottom end of its guide price but well above how much it would have fetched when it was made in the 1990s.

The vase tells the story of the M11 link road protests of the early 1990s when campaigners tried to protect homes and the landscape in East London around Wanstead.

Much of the campaign centred around a cherry tree that features on the vase.

Auctioneer, Jeanette May, said Grayson used to sell his art works for a tenner at a local boot sale before he became famous.

The auction comes just weeks after the artist, who is well known for his pottery works and tapestries that give his take on British life, was named in the New Year's Honours List.

At 44cm high, the vase auctioned this week was much larger.

It could have fetched more had it been in first class condition.