Somerset director Edgar gets his bid in early for Hot Fuzz film sign

It was the film that confirmed Simon Pegg's place in Hollywood, and became one the most-loved comedies of the 21st century.

But Hot Fuzz, the tale of a London policeman who moves to a West Country town, would have been nothing without the beautiful city of Wells providing the backdrop to the laughs.

Nick Frost as Police Constable Danny Butterman and Simon Pegg as Detective Constable Nick Angel in a scene from the hit movie Hot Fuzz
Director Edgar Wright proudly holds the 'S'

And now, the film's director Edgar Wright, who started his career as a projectionist at Wells' now closed Regal Cinema, has bought an unlikely piece of the film's cinematic history.

Central to Hot Fuzz was Wells' Somerfield supermarket – a regular venue in the film and the site of the legendary shoot-out scene.

But the supermarket has recently been rebranded as a Co-operative store, after Somerfield was bought out. The Somerfield sign was torn down, and was to be auctioned to raise money for a local charity for young film makers.

Which is when Mr Wright, now an in-demand Hollywood filmmaker, stepped in and snapped up the 'S' for £500.

It took a while to contact him – he is currently working on the script of the new Tintin movie for Stephen Spielberg, which is being shot in New Zealand – but when he heard the letters were being sold off, he declared that he wanted the letter S.

He found out about the auction when our sister newspaper the Wells Journal, contacted him about the sale.

"It means more to me than it could ever do to any movie geek," he said. The sign was presented to him on a recent homecoming by his parents, who still live locally.

The Somerfield store was run by the villainous Simon Skinner in the film, played by Timothy Dalton. When Co-operative shop-fitters went to work, they agreed not to put the sign in a skip, and saved the unique piece of movie memorabilia. It was originally intended to sell the sign on eBay until Mr Wright's bid. The money will go to Somerset Film at the Engine Room in Bridgwater, which nurtures Somerset's emerging film-making talents.

The charity's Phil Shepherd said: "We are delighted by this generous gesture from a great Somerset talent." The rest of the salvaged sign will be auctioned on eBay with a £20 reserve from February 20.