A sacred Aboriginal artefact was withdrawn from auction the day before the sale on Wednesday after complaints by the head of museums in Australia.

The small carved stone item, known as a Churinga, was estimated to sell for between £4,000 and £6,000 at Canterbury Auction Galleries.

But auctioneer Tony Pratt took the decision to withdraw it after receiving a flood of complaints from Australia, including the High Commission, who said it should never be offered for sale.

Mr Pratt said: It seemed to create a huge upset in Australia and from the Aboriginal community.

"I was told that it was so sacred that it should not be photographed and only handled by tribal elders and certainly never a woman.

"I spoke to the vendor on Tuesday evening and we agreed that given the furore, I should remove it from the sale.

"It was the ethical thing to do and I certainly did not want to create a diplomatic incident."

The seller, who lives in the Canterbury area, was given the 19th century Churinga, which is said to symbolise the continuity of life, by the traveller Archer Russell.

Mr Pratt said: "I have not sold one like it before but a similar one went for 30,000 euros in France two years ago and there are certainly people who want to buy it.

"However, I think the Australian representatives believe it should never have been taken away in the first place and are expecting it to be given back.

"I think we need to let the dust settle and then the vendor will have to think about what she wants to do."