BAGS of soil apparently from Richmond Castle were offered on internet auction site eBay this week.

But online shoppers failed to take up the chance to own a "small bag of the land of kings" - by the time bidding ended on Wednesday, not a single bid was received, despite almost 2,600 visits to the page.

The seller, identified only as "jt_yorks" from Richmond, North Yorkshire, claimed buyers had the chance to own "a little piece of England " for £3.

The listing said that every bag of soil contained "a picture of the area from where the soil was lovingly removed, under cover of darkness."

While it did not state that the soil was from Richmond castle, a picture of the fortress was included, along with a description of the earth as possibly having royal connections, including with King Arthur, whose cave is said to lie near the castle.

English Heritage, which manages the castle, said soil did not appear to have been taken from the site.

A spokeswoman said: "It's certainly a new one on me but we are not aware of any suspicious holes appearing in the ground. The castle is private property and a scheduled ancient monument and removing soil would be a criminal offence."

The listing may be a joke or from someone filling bags with garden soil, she added.

Would-be bidders for the soil seemed similarly sceptical: "Are you for real?," wrote one, addressing the vendor.