384,000 dollars for pee by the sea

Dublin: A ramshackle public toilet could fetch $384,000, which is the price of a new house - if politicians in western Ireland get their way.

The town of Lahinch reckons property-hungry buyers will snap up the dilapidated, out-of-order toilet because of its great location - a surfing beach on Ireland's rugged Atlantic coast.

"You could leave the toilet block and be in the sea in less than 40 seconds," local politician Martin Conway said, but admitted: "It's quite remarkable that an old toilet block would fetch $384,000."

The average cost of a home in Ireland, where house prices have gone up 15 per cent in the past year, is $382,439, which makes it cost lesser than the sea side toilet.

Local property auctioneer Nicola Leyden said the site, overlooking Ireland's best known surfing spot, was breathtaking: "It's probably the most sought after pee you'll ever take on the west coast of Ireland."