London, Jul 25: A couple who own MoonEstates, the only British franchise that selling plots of moon land, have revealed that their sales have doubled with the 40th anniversary of the lunar landings.

Sue and Francis Williams, who sell land on the Moon at 20 pounds per acre, say that takings have hit the 6 million-pound mark.

The pair received the rights to be deep space estate agents from Dennis Hope, an American who laid claim to every planet after exploiting a loophole in the US legal system.

Sue and Francis, who started selling moon plots six years ago, have sold 500 acres this month, twice the usual figure, making 10,000 pounds.

MoonEstates has now sold around 300,000 acres, generating 6 million pounds.

However, 90 per cent of the amount goes to Hope's US franchise.

"We had a massive surge of extra orders due to the 40th anniversary. There has been so much talk of the landings and Neil Armstrong," British tabloid The Sun quoted Francis, of St Austell, Cornwall, as saying.

55-year-old Sue, added, "The credit crunch has helped because it's a nice fun present in a time of doom and gloom."

The couple, who have two children, also have the rights to sell land on other planets.

Punters receive a parchment deed from MoonEstates, signed by Francis in his role as Celestial Ambassador to the UK. But they have no legal right or claim to the land.

According to Francis, plenty of the moon's nine billion acres are still available.

ANI