SHE may seem the most unlikely candidate to join the hunting, shooting and fishing brigade, but Madonna is rumoured to have set her heart on acquiring a prized North-East grouse moor.

Speculation sweeping the villages of northern County Durham is that the Material Girl has emerged as favourite to buy the Muggleswick estate.

Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie, who ironically shot to fame as director of gangster blockbuster Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, are believed to be interested in the 12,000-acre estate which straddles the Northumberland-Durham border.

The estate was put on the market with a £6m price tag at the start of the week by agents acting for its owner, Viscount Lambton.

Richard Murray Wells, of Smiths Gore, in York, which is handling the sale, declined to confirm or deny the rumours.

"But there has already been a strong interest in buying what is one of the most prized grouse moors in Britain," he said.

"There have been inquiries from several high-profile clients both in this country and abroad."

Two years ago, the couple bought a six-bedroom Georgian house in London for £5.7m, close to the shopping haven of Bond Street.

The nearest shopping on Muggleswick estate - which includes three farms - is at the village store in Edmundbyers.

Guy Ritchie is known to be a keen gun sportsman and the couple have already bought a 1,200-acre pheasant-shooting estate, in Dorset