Online auction firm eBay has pulled the sale of a woman's ashes which were being offered at 1p a packet by her son.

Glen Beaton, from Inverness in Scotland, wanted to use the auction site to fulfil his mother's wish to travel around the world. He put her ashes into small bags and started selling them internationally, but the sale fell foul of eBay's regulations.

"The auction breached the eBay terms and conditions," said a spokeswoman. " You cannot buy or sell body parts on eBay."

Although the packets of ashes were technically being sold, Beaton said that he would not be collecting money for them.

"There are absolutely no charges for this auction to any bidder as I do not intend to profit from my mother's passing. I just want to fulfil a wish," he wrote.

Beaton was particularly interested in hearing from people in the US, Australia and New Zealand, locations his mother wanted to visit.