For sale on eBay: the Harrier jet that would make the perfect addition to any soccer star's back garden

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And now you can snap up a Sea Harrier jump jet – if you have a few thousand pounds to spare.

Bidding for the 45ft-long former Royal Navy aircraft had reached £10,600 yesterday, and owner Chris Wilson was hoping it would achieve his £26,000 reserve by the time the auction closes at ten o’clock tonight.

Going, going: Chris Wilson hopes that bidding for his Sea Harrier FA2 jump jet will have reached £26,000 when the auction on eBay closes tonight

Mr Wilson, 30, a former RAF airframe fitter who restores old aircraft for a living, said: ‘There are a few footballers who like the idea of having one on display in their back gardens.

‘You would need quite a bit of space to fit it but it’s stunning.

‘We also had a lot of interest from museums and companies that want something extraordinary outside their offices.’

The Sea Harrier FA2 jump jet was commissioned 21 years ago and used in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm for ten years, possibly patrolling no-fly zones in the former Yugoslavia.

Mr Wilson from Queensbury, West Yorkshire, has painstakingly rebuilt it but only for display purposes because it has no engine.

The aircraft is one of several jump jets sold by the Ministry of Defence in 2006 after the model was taken out of service.

Most went into the hands of private collectors.