Treasure hunters seeking 10 tonnes of Nazi gold allegedly stashed under a crumbling palace in Poland say they have been given the go-ahead to dig up a canister which may contain the loot.

Since May 2021, the Silesian Bridge Foundation, a Polish group of treasure hunters, has been digging for gold that they believe was stashed under the 18th-century palace in the village of Minkowskie.

They believe that the treasure was taken from rich German families on the orders of Heinrich Himmler, the SS chief, and buried beneath a conservatory as a war chest for a future Fourth Reich.

This week, they announced that they had received a permit to begin a crucial step of the search.

“We are excited to share with you the [receipt] of our latest permit required for the final excavation of the deposits,” Roman Furmaniak, a Silesian Bridge Foundation member, said in a message posted on YouTube.

“Save the date – September 1st! Big date for a big day!” he added.

Read more: The Telegraph