London:
A Cold War-era nuclear bunker in Britain has been put up for sale on online auction site eBay, with bidders already pushing the price up to more than 27,000 pounds within just three days.
"A rare opportunity to acquire a piece of Cold War history," read the sale advert on the website yesterday.
"Set in a stunning location with glorious views. Your own nuclear bunker within a plot of land and much original equipment."
After being advertised at a starting price of 500 pounds late on Thursday, a bidding war saw the price of the underground shelter rocket, increasing more than 50 times in less than three days.
Late yesterday the price stood at 27,424 pounds after 67 bids.
The bunker came into service in 1959 and was used by the Royal Observer Corps, a civilian defence organisation composed mainly of volunteers who had the task of reporting nuclear attack and fallout.
The shelter, in the Peak District National Park in central England, was fully operational until 1991 when it was decommissioned as the Soviet Union collapsed.
Measuring 15 metres, the bunker is on farmland and in an "elevated position with panoramic views."