A father who tried to sell his kidney on the internet to create a better life for his disabled daughter is going to America to meet potential buyers.

Peter Randall needs to raise £100,000 to send six-year-old Alice, who suffers from cerebral palsy, to Ingfield Manor School in Billingshurst.

As reported in The Argus, he advertised his kidney on web site eBay just before Christmas in a bid to raise the cash.

The advert, which set a reserve price of £50,000, was removed following widespread media coverage but Mr Randall has revealed he received three "serious" bids of up to £95,000 from the States.

He plans to visit a New York hospital for compatibility tests later this month and if they prove positive an operation could go ahead in February or March.

The Department of Health has warned the 49-year-old that selling organs, and advertising them for sale, is illegal in this country, but there are no such restrictions in the US.

Mr Randall said: "This is not something I want to do but it is the only way to help my daughter."

Mr Randall, from Sevenoaks in Kent, and Alice's mother, Jennifer Stanbury, want their daughter to attend the £50,000-a-year school which offers special therapy to help her walk.

But Kent County Council says the best option is for Alice to attend a mainstream school which has facilities for cerebral palsy sufferers.

Mr Randall said: "With the right therapy, she's going to be able to walk within two years, rather than being confined to a wheelchair.

"Given a choice between that and my kidney, Alice wins every time."