A POP star is set to auction off some of the guitars which helped him reach the top of the charts.

Hadleigh’s Alan Williams, 69, is a member of The Rubettes.

The band, which is still touring now, enjoyed their biggest hit with Sugar Baby Love in January 1974.

Now six guitars, which are estimated to fetch more than £100,000 with interest from around the world, will be auctioned off at Stacey’s Auctioneers, in Webster’s Way, Rayleigh as part of a special rock and retro auction.

The music man is selling them before he moves to Australia to join his family.

He said: “As a band we are still working and touring.

“I have another 12 guitars which will be coming with me.

“I believe the guitars I am selling are worth about £20,000 each. I am exciting for the auction and we will see then how it goes.

“This sort of thing attracts interest from America and Japan and I am hopeful there is plenty of international interest.

“The band started in 1974 and was pretty much created around the song.

“It all went so fast and we were famous and performing on music shows such as Top of the Pops.

“We stopped after four years and came back in the mid Eighties and have been going since and do between 25 and 30 concerts a year.”

Mark Stacey, business partner at the auctioneers said: “We do see guitars but nothing with a history like these items.

“There is an up and coming market for these items.

“We have buyers coming from America and Germany.”

He is selling six guitars, including two Fender Stratocasters, one Gibson Les Paul custom, one Gibson Stereo and a pair of Zemaitis acoustic guitars.

The collection of items for sale at the specialist auction also includes a rare Star Wars poster, and other film posters, which is set to make between £800 and £1,200. The instruments will be sold on Saturday from 10am.