Looking to share a flat in busy, well-connected Kingston? Tough luck - this prime spot has been taken off the market, despite its all-inclusive rent and modern layout.

Surrey Comet:

After all, who would pay £400 to sleep in a bed in someone else's kitchen? Even if it did have garden access and a fetching leopard-print bedspread.

That is what one poster, named only as Joe, offered in an advert on Spareroom.co.uk described as "bizarre" by the site's own director.

His listing read: "Single bed to rent in kitchen/lounge area. All bills included.

"PLEASE notice is not a room. Is a single bed in shared kitchen, you can use your own entrance from the garden, if you wish."

However, the landlord apparently behind the advert told the Comet it had been posted in error by a friend.

He said: "She doesn't speak English very well. I said to her, 'Put that room which is next to the kitchen area.' She misunderstood."

Asked whether anyone had expressed an interest in the kitchen-bed, he added: "Nobody called. Only the newspapers called."

But Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom.co.uk, said: "This is another sign of how bad the housing crisis has become.

"This isn’t just one of the most bizarre ads we’ve seen, it’s also a huge invasion of privacy.

"No one should have to sleep in a kitchen, and no one should have to pass through a bedroom to get to a communal area. This ad has been removed."

Surrey Comet:

The bed was also advertised as having a broadband internet connection and access for people with disabilities. Short lets would be considered, Joe wrote in the listing.

The bed, believed to be in Sopwith Close, north Kingston, is no longer available to rent, according to Spareroom.co.uk.

Paul Noblet, from youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, said: "This latest example of people being forced to take sub-standard accommodation in London further highlights just how desperate a housing crisis we are facing in the capital and across many parts of the country.

"Many people are already struggling to find a place to live which is close enough to also hold down a job.

"That is a situation which is even more difficult for young people who have experienced homelessness.

"Young people looking to move on from hostels such as those run by Centrepoint are finding it harder and harder to find a safe and affordable place to live independently, which in turn means that places in our services do not become free to support other young people who have nowhere to go.

"Until the new government gets to grips with the need for more truly affordable housing we are going to see more and more people sleeping in places like this, particularly in London and the South East."

Councillor Ian George, lead member for housing, said: "This is shocking, but not surprising.

"This type of thing happens more often in other boroughs, but I am determined that the council will do all it can to prevent this type of practice from occurring in Kingston.

"There aren't enough homes of all kinds, including affordable housing and the council are pro-actively addressing this in a way that has not been done previously."

Opposition housing spokeswoman Councillor Patricia Bamford said: "This is symptomatic of the increasing need for housing in Kingston and across London and the South East."