The craze for "cryptocurrencies" shows no signs of abating as homeowners begin to offer discounts to buyers who bid with bitcoin.

The value of digital currencies such as bitcoin and ethereum has rocketed in recent years as more people ditch conventional money in favour of digital alternatives.

Some of these people are undoubtedly speculators – betting on currencies just as they would on stocks or commodities – but others are attracted by the challenge that these new digital payment systems present to the status quo represented by central banks.

Sean Atkinson, 49, said his interest in bitcoin was less from an investment point of view and more in terms of "how it can change society".

He has become so enamored with bitcoin that he has decided to sell his house for £80,000 or £100 "plus bitcoins". When he first listed his three-bedroom Grimsby house for sale (on a website he set up for £1) Mr Atkinson was accepting 18 bitcoins.