Instrument discovered in attic in East Sussex only a few miles from former Beatle’s home after campaign to find it.

Sir Paul McCartney’s lost Hofner bass guitar has been found in a loft in East Sussex, 52 years after it was stolen from the back of a van in Notting Hill, London in 1972

The Höfner bass, valued by the company at a minimum of £10 million, has been returned to the former Beatle, who is “thrilled” by the find.

McCartney was reunited with the instrument in December, but it has taken a further two months to authenticate it.

The guitar’s journey from the back of a van to the East Sussex loft was traced by a team in what was dubbed the Lost Bass Project.

The trail began when Ian Horne, a sound engineer with Wings, read of the search and came forward to say that the bass had been stolen from the back of his van in Notting Hill, West London, on Oct 10 1972.

From there, the investigators identified the thief. “The thief lived in Cambridge Gardens in Ladbroke Grove. From his top floor flat, he could see the musicians coming and going down below, and where the roadies parked their vans.

“This man was an opportunist thief who stole to provide for his wife and three children. In 1972, Notting Hill was a poor place.”

The thief then sold the bass to the landlord of his local pub.

“Days later, the landlord agreed to buy it, and the bass that powered Beatlemania changed hands in a West London pub for ‘not much money’ – plus a few free pints.”

A spokesman for McCartney said: “Following the launch of last year’s Lost Bass project, Paul’s 1961 Höfner bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been returned. The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”

“This bass echoes with the sound of some of the most famous and important songs ever written. And then it ended up, like so many unused or unwanted possessions, up in the loft, in a typical house, on an ordinary British street.”

Ian Horne, the sound engineer who had always felt guilty about the theft, said: “When it was stolen in 1972, Paul told me not to worry, and I carried on working with him and Wings for another six years.

“But I’ve never forgotten about the bass, and I’ve carried the guilt all my life. It was stolen on my watch so to help get the bass back today, I’m thrilled. It’s a huge weight off my mind.”