A housewarming gift you don't want

A new survey out today reveals some of the many strange things that new householders just didn’t expect to find.

The study, part of ongoing research into British home life, quizzed buyers about what they discovered hidden away after moving in.

For many, things forgotten or donated were useful, such as kitchen utensils, curtains and window blinds, white goods and furniture.

But along with the nice stuff there were also some suitably weird ‘gifts’ including:

* the gravestone of a family dog

* a collection of tarantula skins

* a box full of animal skeletons

* collection of dolls with their eyes removed

* bundle of photos with faces scratched out

* ashes of a former pet

* ouija boards and black magic items

* soiled or bloody clothes

Proud new owners also discovered odd messages written on the walls underneath paint or wallpaper, strange stains underneath carpet and flooring and suspicious scratch marks around the home.

Tanya Irons, spokesperson for www.hillarys.co.uk, who carried out the survey, said: "You never truly know what’s happened in a home before you move in.

"Whilst estate agents have to tell you so much information in accordance with the rules and regulations, they have been known to twist or dial down the truth.

"I’d definitely be weirded out to find some of these items in a home that I came to purchase, but that’s not to say there’s anything creepy or haunted going on, it could just be the previous homeowners looking to play a prank."