Bargain hunters looking for the deal of a lifetime may be tempted by this coffin - with just one previous owner.

The unused 6ft beech wood casket, which comes complete with a lid, is available for £175 although those seeking a little post-mortem comfort may be put off by the fact it has no lining.

The item was spotted in the classified section of the Kentish Express’ ads under the category of miscellaneous household items.

The seller comes from Maidstone and asked only to identified as Mr Moore.

He said: “A friend of mine had it and I just thought to myself ‘I could sell that.’

“You won’t believe how difficult it is to get hold of coffin furnishings, like handles, though.

“I asked around in some funeral parlours but they didn’t have a clue. It took a while to find them but I did, then I ended up selling them to someone else who needed them.

“I always keep my eyes open for coffins. It’s something different and a bit of a laugh.

“I’ve sold a couple over the years. Ten or 20 years ago I sold two used ones."

“They were old travel coffins, which is what bodies used to be placed in before they were put into bags.

“One ended up going to America and another went into a shop display.

“This one isn’t of the same quality. If Argos did coffins, this is what it would look like.”

In June 2012 he was banned for trying to sell an unused coffin at Ashford’s Cattle Market boot fair, in Orbital park.

It could have been the deal of a lifetime for a savvy shopper but it sadly went unsold, with some customers saying its presence in the market was tomb much.

Bargain-hunter Ann George, from Kennington, spotted it on sale.

Speaking at the time she said: “I’ve never seen anything like it before – a coffin advertised as ‘new and unused and open to offers’.

“I had a friend who was running a stall up there and they were gobsmacked. We’ve certainly never seen one of those for sale before.

“What made me laugh was he had a book on top of the coffin about healthy eating.”

Market manager Ray Scott said: “We’ve asked him not to bring the coffin back again. We have all sorts of weird things being sold here but we had some people frowning on the sale – they thought it was a bit tasteless.”

Anyone interested in the item should call 01622 861105.