A German city accidentally advertised porn on its official website.

Authorities in Gelsenkirchen mistakenly offered pornographical material as a service to residents in the area.

A spokesman for the city said: "It was a mistake. There was never any intention of the city providing pornography as a service."

Website designers apparently made the mistake when a colleague compiling the list of things to do in the town thought brothel owners might type 'porn' into the search box.

It was believed the owners of brothels - which are legal in Germany - might search for the term to find out about the city's sex tax regulations.