A Cold War-era nuclear bunker in Britain has been put up for sale on online auction site eBay, and by yesterday bidders had pushed the price up to €21,500.

"A rare opportunity to acquire a piece of Cold War history," read the sale advert on the website.

"Set in a stunning location with glorious views. Your own nuclear bunker within a plot of land and much original equipment."

After being advertised at a starting price of £500 late on Thursday, a bidding war saw the price of the underground shelter rocket.

Early yesterday the price stood at £19,300 after 39 bids.

Late Sunday, eBay listed the top bid as more than £27,000 but later cancelled this offer saying it had been an "unsound bid". The auction ends on March 7. The bunker came into service in 1959 and was used by the Royal Observer Corps, a civilian defence organisation composed mainly of volunteers who had the task of reporting nuclear attack and fallout. The shelter, in the Peak District National Park in central England, was fully operational until 1991 when it was decommissioned as the Soviet Union collapsed.

Measuring (15 x 15 metres), the bunker is on farmland and in an "elevated position with panoramic views", says the seller.

The bunker, which is "accessed via a metal hatch and shaft", lies 15 feet underground and has two rooms - a chemical toilet and monitoring room - and two ventilation shafts.