With Valentine's Day approaching, it wasn't the most romantic of gestures when Shaun Coles from Kettering put his girlfriend Debbie Moran up for sale on eBay.

He did it as a joke, but over fifty people placed a bid and the highest offer was over £700!

"In all seriousness, I wouldn't sell her for anything. You can see names, but you can't really see anything else on this particular site so I can imagine that most bids came from the UK, but I would expect some international interest as well!"

Debbie hates the photo, and she's listed as "Old Woman".

Debbie is listed as "Old Woman." Credit: ITV News Anglia

What's more, there's also an unflattering item description making reference to a lack of housework.

Debbie wasn't impressed with Shaun's reference to a 'lack of housework'. Credit: ITV News Anglia

"I was a bit annoyed with him at first, but I knew he didn't do it maliciously because he's not like that. I know he does love me really. It's just a joke that got a bit out of hand!"

When it came to the question of postage and packing, Shaun decided to make his girlfriend a 'collect in person only' item.

He also chose to adopt a 'no returns' policy.

Shaun has a lot of making up to do. Credit: ITV News Anglia

They've been together for six years and Shaun removed the listing after he realised it broke the website's rules.

On the auction site Shaun has the highest possible satisfaction rating, but it's fair to say Debbie wasn't 100 % happy and he still has plenty of grovelling to do.

Click below to watch a report from ITV News Anglia's Stuart Leithes