LETTERS from notorious gangsters The Krays are due to go under the hammer at a Stourbridge auction this weekend.

A collection of 46 letters written by Reggie Kray in 1970 while he was in HM Prison Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, plus three letters and a painting by Ronnie Kray, will go up for sale at Fieldings Auctioneers' next auction on Saturday February 2.

The letters from Reggie, sent to a woman named Cheryl Hukin from Rotherham, are all on official prison paper and date from January 4 to August 5 1970 and they cover a variety of topics including Judy Garland, Dirk Bogarde, Tommy Trinder and Danny La Rue, Reggie's dog Mitzi and regrets about not marrying Christine Boyce.

One even tells how he put on the record Please Release Me by Englebert Humperdinck after shouting broke out in the cells and he adds: "It is much quieter now."

There's also a painting by Reggie's twin brother Ronnie and three letters, also on HM Prison Parkhurst paper, penned by him to Cherly Hukin in June and July 1970.

Auctioneer Nick Davies said: "In one of the letters he mentions the painting - it's called 'the jypsy'.

The letters from Reggie form one lot and the painting and letters from Ronnie form a second lot and they have been given guide prices of £1,000 to £1,500 per lot.

Mr Davies said: "They could do really well. The Krays were so notorious they will always have some sort of value.

"At the time these letters were written they’d only just gone into prison in 1969 – and Reggie seemed a little bit lost without his gang and security and people he knew. It's really interesting to see into their mindset."

It is not clear how the twins knew Ms Hukin but Mr Davies said: "They kept going on about her visiting but the Home Office wouldn't allow it.

"She did stay with their mother in the East End - there was obviously some close connection."

The items are being put up for sale by a vendor in north Worcestershire whose mother received the collection from Cheryl Hukin's mother.

They can be viewed between 10am and 4pm on Thursday and between 10am and 7pm on Friday.

The sale starts at 9.30am.