Water auction frozen by eBay

The water was being sold to raise funds for Oxfam

Internet auction house eBay has halted the sale of a bucket of Bristol tap water.

In an email to the seller, the company said: "We have determined that your item is inappropriate for listing on eBay.

"Therefore, we have ended this auction(s) and all fees have been credited to your account."

The seller, known only by their callsign, juss01, told BBC News Online he was "gutted" as all money raised was to be passed to Oxfam in Sudan.

Bristol Water had agreed to match the highest bid, with a ceiling of £200.

The highest bid, on Thursday morning, stood at £117, with more than 8,700 people logging on to have a look.

A host of copy cat sellers soon appeared in the auction site.