AN online trader has secured one of the country’s most expensive web addresses after two years of negotiations.

Hair X-Tensions, which offers a wide range of hair extensions and related products to the public and the trade, has secured the rights to hairextensions.co.uk for £30,000.

The County Durham company completed the deal after two years of talks with the site’s former owners.

It is one of the most expensive .co.uk domain names to be sold in recent years – more than three times the price of diamondengagementrings which sold for £9,975 in May and just slightly higher than the hallmark.co.uk which sold for £29,375 in December 2007.

Seaham-based Hair X-Tensions was set up by Darren Williams and Angela Place last year and had been trading from the web address buyhair.co.uk Mr Williams said: “For obvious reasons hair extensions.co.uk, is one of the most lucrative web addresses in the industry and one which we have been very keen to secure for quite some time.

“We are thrilled that, after years of discussions and tense negotiations, we have finally been able to secure the domain name, which I’m sure will help make our extensive range of products even easier to find.”

The website, which goes live this week, will run in addition to the existing online outlet and forms part of the company’s plan to create another eight online stores in in the next three years.

Plans are also in place for Hair X-Tensions to open its first trade counter in the North-East, giving customers the opportunity to collect their hair extensions in person.