A New York newspaper has taken speculation about the mystery ‘hobby house’ in Epsom to a new level, by making the ridiculous suggestion that it might contain radioactive uranium.

McCann’s estate agents, based in Epsom High Street, put up a listing on its website for a three-bedroom, semi-detached house in Eastcroft Road, West Ewell, which is on sale for £337,950.

While the website provided images of the front of the house and two if its garden, a fourth picture tab carried a statement saying "due to the owners hobby, we are unable to take internal photographs".

The cryptic statement created a Twitter frenzy with people wondering what secrets lie inside the property which led to a New York news website reporting on the mystery on Friday.

The New York Daily News website stated: "Does it involve uranium?  Speculation is rife over what mysterious hobby prevented real estate agents from showing a home's interior in an online ad..."

It asked readers "just what goes on behind closed doors?" and said that what is inside the property is "the question on everyone’s lips in Surrey".

It states: "Yes, it looks perfectly normal from the outside, but it’s what’s going on inside that has Twitter all atwitter."

A number of comments were left on the article by readers, including one who speculated that the owner may be a hoarder.

A reporter from this newspaper visited the house last Thursday evening to clarify the situation, but there was no suggestion from the outside that it was anything but a normal house - although the curtains were drawn downstairs.

The silver-haired owner insisted there was "nothing to see" inside the house and said he has no idea why people are intrigued.