A place with an NHS dentist in Bradford has been sold for £10 on the internet auction site eBay.

The registered place, with an unnamed dentist, had a starting price of £10.

It went on sale on May 5 and bidding closed yesterday at 6pm with no further bids on the opening amount.

Although the seller did not reveal the name of the practice, they did say that it was available in Bradford and that it was an NHS place.

In the description of the item the seller, known only by his registration name of "One Last Deal", says: "Can't find a dentist?

"This dental registration is available at a dental surgery in Bradford, West Yorkshire. You don't have to live in the area, as long as you are prepared to travel."

The seller then says he is willing to sell the registration to anywhere in Europe and does not currently have anything else for sale on eBay.

Health officials stressed that it is not possible to buy or sell registration with dental practices.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "NHS dental registration places are not transferable and are dependent on a dentist agreeing to accept the patient on to their list.

"A dentist is not allowed to charge a patient for registering at his or her practice, as this would be a breach of their NHS terms and conditions of service."

There are currently 0.32 dentists per 1,000 residents in Bradford. This is an increase on the same time last year when the Telegraph & Argus reported that the district's Primary Care Trusts have fewer dentists per person than former Eastern Bloc country Poland. Bradford South and West are worse off with just 0.24 dentists for every 1,000 residents.

A spokesman for Bradford Primary Health Care Trust, stressed that people should not try to register with a dental practice this way.

He said: "The only route we would advise people to look for a dentist is to ring NHS Direct who will provide you straight away with a list of practices near to you who have NHS places available.

"This kind of thing is unheard of. Registration with a dental practice is not something you pay for and there are currently a number of open lists available with practices in Bradford."

To find out about dentists taking NHS patients in Bradford contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.