The local authority has unveiled a new policy which sets out rules for the sale of the valuable building material.

According to the Press & Journal, mounds of the stone are sitting in storage which could be put to better use, with some deals expected to top £10,000.

Aberdeen was the world centre for the granite trade in the late 19th Century, gaining its nickname as so many city buildings are made of the twinkling rock.

The city’s Rubislaw Quarry provided much of this, with an estimated six million tonnes excavated in its 200 years of operation before it closed in 1971.

Documents say the authority now has a “supply of salvaged reusable building materials and architectural elements from historic buildings that have been demolished”.

This material has been stored in council facilities, but there has never before been any sort of policy in place on what to do with it.

Council papers add: “There have been various inquiries about the storage and sale of these materials in the past.”

This policy will mean there is “no reputational risk” to the council as it embarks on granite sales.

It is designed to “provide clarity and transparency on the storage and future use of existing stored materials”.