Bars of gold could still be hidden at a beach...five years after it was buried there as part of an art project.

Hundreds of people got out their shovels and metal detectors and headed to Outer Harbour beach, in Folkestone, to hunt for the precious metal during the 2014 Triennial.

The installation, entitled 'Folkestone Digs', saw 30 individual pieces of 24-carat gold - collectively worth £10,000 - buried at the beach, which is mostly under water at high tide.

The nuggets, shaped similar to a dog tag, came in two sizes, worth around £250 and £500.

The project was funded by Bristol-based designers Situations, with the idea coming from Berlin-based artist Michael Sailstorfer.

And in the days and weeks after the exhibit launched, several visitors and residents came forward to say they have been lucky and struck gold.

This included Kevin Wood and Kirsty Henderson who found a piece on their second day of digging, and described the find as a one in a million chance.

They said they were going to put the money towards a trip on the Eurostar.

But while some treasure hunters let organisers know of their find, it's unlikely everyone who hit the jackpot did.

As a result it is impossible to know if all the gold has been found, or if some remains hidden close to the sandy shoreline.

Indeed this was the intention of the artist; the website for the project states: "Sailstorfer's sculpture is made and re-made daily by people digging on the beach.

"Since no-one knows how many of the gold pieces have been found, the goal of hidden treasure waiting to be discovered may be a permanent addition to the beach."

Now, bosses behind Creative Folkestone, which organises the triennial every three years in the town, say there's still 'a good chance' gold remains at the beach.

A Creative Folkestone spokeswoman said: "We can never tell for certain but there has to be a good chance there is still gold in the beach."

The 2014 triennial, themed Lookout, also included pieces commissioned by Yoko Ono, Beatles member John Lennon's widow, Gabriel Lester and Jyll Bradley.

The next triennial - the fifth to take place - will be held next year.

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