Lock of Elvis's hair under hammer

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A strand of hair from the late Elvis Presley, saved by his personal barber, is to be auctioned in Wiltshire.

Homer Gill Gilleland toured with Elvis for more than 20 years. He dyed the singer's hair black and then cut it, saving strands in a towel.

Friends of Mr Gilleland said he would then bundle up the towel, with hair inside, and take it home in a bag.

The piece of hair is expected to fetch up to £250 at the auction in Devizes on 14 November.

After Elvis's death in 1977, Mr Gilleland is said to have started selling strands of the hair in a souvenir shop on the street opposite the singer's home Graceland in Memphis in the US.

The strand currently up for auction was given to Thomas B Morgan Jnr in 2002 by the barber. Mr Morgan worked in the Sheriff's Office of Shelby County and knew Elvis.

The hair, which comes with a certificate of authenticity, is mounted in a frame alongside a photograph of Elvis.

It will be put up for auction at Henry Aldridge and Son in Devizes along with other Elvis items including a dessert plate owned and used by him.

In November 2002, a wad of Elvis' hair sold for 115,000 US dollars (about £70,000) in an internet auction.