A WOMAN left in shock after her parents bequeathed the family farm to the RSPCA has been hit by a double whammy after seeing the property advertised for sale.

Dr Christine Gill spoke last week of how she had been heartened by the charity's response to her public plea over Potto Carr Farm, at Potto, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

A statement released by the RSPCA on Tuesday said it hoped to settle the matter without legal proceedings.

But on Friday, the 275-acre farm, previously valued at £1.5m, was advertised in local newspapers for more than £1.25m.

It is described as having a modern farmhouse, a range of modern farm buildings and 30 acres of woodland.

Dr Gill has been trying to negotiate with the RSPCA after finding out the contents of her mother's will in August last year.

Her father, who died in 1999, left everything to his wife, who left the whole estate to the animal charity.

Dr Gill, who has a ten-year-old son, Christopher, with her husband, Andrew, did not receive a penny - despite spending years caring for her parents and helping out on the farm.

She has until October 15 to lodge court papers for a challenge under the 1975 UK Inheritance Act.

"I saw Potto Carr Farm advertised for sale in spite of my appeals to the RSPCA for a settlement in land, not money, and in spite of their publicised wish to negotiate," said Dr Gill.

She has appealed to the RSPCA to give her the farm in return for as much cash as the farm could afford.

"If the RSPCA did announce they were returning the farm to me in exchange for a very substantial donation, I believe the majority of the public would applaud them, as I would, wholeheartedly for their moral and charitable stance," Dr Gill said.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "We are discussing this issue in depth with Christine Gill's lawyers and have already suggested a way of settling this matter.

"We certainly do not want to prolong this, and we hope and expect this can be resolved without the need for legal proceedings."

However, Dr Gill said: "My solicitor has heard nothing from the RSPCA since the story appeared in the newspapers.

"I have seen no serious attempt from the RSPCA to negotiate."