Veteran British rocker Paul Weller regrets destroying his lyric books following the completion of each album because he could have made a fortune auctioning them off.

The former The Jam frontman found it therapeutic to get rid of his song scribbles and start from scratch after completing every project, and it turned into a ritual of sorts.

During an interview on BBC Radio 4's Mastertapes show, he explained, "I would rip up or burn my books. I'd always have a book of lyrics and once I finished the record, I'd destroy them so they were kinda, that's it, gone, it's kinda like the next step, let's all start again, a fresh canvas."

However, Weller admits he should have saved them all as keepsakes because they would be worth so much money if he was to put them up for sale now.

He quips, "(They) could go to Sotheby's or something!"