A PAIR of bargain-hunting sisters are set to appear on the latest popular TV antique show "Boot Sale Treasure Hunt".

Maureen Ratcliffe and Josie Spence, who live together in Warrington Road, Leigh, were called up to Blackpool after answering an advert in a TV magazine for contestants.

Last month they headed for a fair at the town's Winter Gardens where they were filmed as the blue team searching out £200 worth of goodies and then reselling them for a profit the following week at a different boot sale in Clitheroe.

Expensive

Boot sale veteran Maureen said: "I must admit we didn't do very well against the red team from Altrincham. We bought expensive things, but at Clitheroe they want everything cheap.

"We did make £57 on the sale day, compared with the red team's £157, but we have some items left which will make much more money when they are resold, including a Victorian dressing mirror and an 1860 pheasant dish which the show expert, Ian Harvey, promised to investigate."

Maureen, an antiques furniture lover who does her own French polishing, returned to Leigh from Ireland 18 months ago when her late husband became ill.

Daughter of Leigh landlord, Joe Gill, licensee of the Standard Mower from 1957-81, Maureen describes herself as a hoarder and has years of experience at both buying and selling at sales.

She said: "Filming is not as easy as it looks. The team were making two shows on the same day and everything has to be done twice so they can film what's going on. There's a lot of hanging around.

"However we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and woudn't mind having a go at something else. I've got the taste for it now."

The show, hosted by Ruth England, will run on ITV at 5pm for four weeks. The girls are still waiting to hear the date they will be featured.