The list has been published by the Treasury showing there are 25 unclaimed estates in town, likely to be worth tens of thousands of pounds.

When a person dies without leaving a will and no family members come forward, the estate passes to the Treasury as ownerless property, often referred to as ‘Bona vacantia.’

These can be claimed within a 12-year deadline, before becoming the property of the Crown, though it is still possible for a person who is legitimately entitled to make a claim.

The surnames of deceased people in Swindon who have outstanding estates are: Cafferty, Caffrey, Cullen, Dancey, Davis, Deeks, Demello, Eggleton, Evans, Hughes, Kelly, Lynch, MacDonald, Marsden, Maschotta, Moloney, Moran, Nowak, Reynolds, Sloan, Smith, Sullivan, Udell, Walsh and White.

An estate is classed as anything from property to personal possessions and money.

Official figures in 2021 revealed that there was £77 million in total in unclaimed inheritance.

The Treasury only advertises estates with a net value of £500 or above.

There were 24 surnames listed last February and only one of the estates has been claimed since then.

The government website contains more information about making a claim but advises people to gather up necessary evidence, including a family tree showing the relationship with the deceased and two pieces of identification.

Who can claim an unclaimed estate?

If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will, the following are entitled to the estate in the order shown below:

husband, wife or civil partner

children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and so on

mother or father

brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews)

half brothers or sisters or their children (nieces and nephews of the half-blood or their children). ‘Half ’ means they share only one parent with the deceased

grandparents

uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)

half uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins of the half-blood or their children). ‘Half’ means they only share one grandparent with the deceased, not both

If you are, for example, a first cousin of the deceased, you would only be entitled to share in the estate if there are no relatives above you in the order of entitlement, for example, a niece or nephew.