AN eBay bid of £101,100 for a car submerged under floodwater on the Somerset Levels appears to have been a hoax.

It is believed a 17-year-old boy, egged on by his younger brother, won the on-line auction for the Seat Toledo, which had been abandoned on the road to Muchelney since Christmas Eve.

Owner Hubert Zajaczkowski, 21, had put the write-off vehicle up for sale to raise money for victims of the Levels flooding.

Mr Zajaczkowski, who said the bidder told him after bids closed last night (Thursday) that it was intended as a joke.

He is now contacting two other people who bid £101,000 to see if they want to buy the car.

eBay's terms and conditions state that "a bid or purchase on eBay is considered a contract and you're obliged to purchase the item" unless the seller is "willing to cancel the transaction".