A British football fan who died aged 79 has left more a quarter of a million pounds to the semi-professional club he had supported all his life.

Colin Rowell left more than £300,000 to his beloved Bishop Auckland Football Club, which claims to be the world's most successful amateur side.

The club, which was founded in 1886, plays in the Northern Football League and has won the FA Amateur Cup 10 times.

The money came from the sale of his bungalow and is expected to be spent on improving the club's stadium, Heritage Park.

The team have also said they will name part of the ground after Mr Rowell and scatter his ashes on the pitch.

Club chairman Richard Tremewan said: "Although we have received one or two bequests before, we've had nothing like this - Colin's generosity is unprecedented.

"It's a stunning amount of money and one that will make a huge difference to the club."

The history of the club can be traced back to 1882 when theological students from Oxford and Cambridge Universities studying at Auckland Castle, home of the Bishop of Durham, formed a team.

A later dispute caused a breakaway team called Auckland Town to be formed in 1886/87, and it was from this upheaval that Bishop Auckland Football Club was eventually born.

Darren Brown, from Hewitts Solicitors in Bishop Auckland, said: "Colin never married and he had no children so it was, perhaps, the natural thing for him to leave it to the football club that had given him so much pleasure over the years.

"After he died we found a drawer full of newspaper clippings about Bishop Auckland FC and the team's new ground at Heritage Park. Clearly, he followed them until the end."