Britons who are increasingly struggling with debt problems during the economic crisis are resorting to extreme measures such as putting their kidneys up for sale, a new report has revealed.

The report by the Sunday Times revealed that at least a dozen adverts have been found on the internet advertising kidneys for sale donors in the UK.

Undercover reporters posed as friends and family members of possible recipients of the kidneys and spoke to five of the donors.

Among those who have put their kidneys up for sale are a 26 year old mental health nurse who went bankrupt after a business venture failed and a 43 year old taxi driver from Lancashire who claimed that he needed the money to pay his mortgage, credit card debt and buy a new kitchen. Both were asking for £25,000 for one of their kidneys.

It is illegal to sell organs in the UK under the Human Tissue Act, even if the seller was planning to travel to another country for the procedure.

Peter Friend, the former president of the British Transplant Society has highlighted the need for a debate on the issue.

“The West has outlawed it for all sorts of good reasons, but the result is it goes underground. It is really important to have a debate.”

There are around 7,000 on the waiting list in the UK for a new kidney. Around 300 people died as a result of not getting a transplant last year.

While a person can survive with only one kidney there are large risks and as with all operations there is the risk of infection, which statistically kills one in every 3000 people.