'Meringue style dress for a fat lass': Auction house slammed for its 'insulting' description of wedding dress

The description for a wedding dress auction has drawn some ire, but has given the auction house some free publicity.

An auction house owner in the UK has been accused of being "narrow-minded and offensive" after describing a wedding dress he was selling as being "for a fat lass".

Railtons Antiques, Auctioneers and Valuers, based in Wooler, Northumberland, caused outrage after posting the offensive advert for the floral lace and net gown on its website.

Now the unapologetic business owner, Jim Railton, has said he finds the furore "funny" and claims the advert was "just a bit tongue in cheek - I should have used the Viz Comic terminology - 'fat slags'."

Jim Railton, pictured in 2014 with a rare strand of Elvis Presley's hair which was auctioned at Railtons. Photo / Getty

The advert said: "A Kelsey Rose long beaded wedding dress; and another more meringue style dress with floral lace and net - for a fat lass."

The strapless gown, which was one of two wedding dresses up for auction, was estimated to sell for around £20-£30 ($38-$58). But it sold for just £12 on June 16.

Railton hit the headlines in 2010 after he tried to sell a chest of drawers containing 100-year-old birds' eggs - and was charged under wildlife protection laws.

He has also previously appeared on BBC 2's Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.

Jim Railton was unapologetic about the description and says he finds the complaints funny.

Railton claims that he does not know what size the wedding dress was.

He said: "There were two dresses in that lot, one was smaller and one was for a lady of ample size. Maybe I should have described it as that.

"It was a real blancmange style dress - you would have definitely needed big t**** for it.

"A woman who complained about it was one of the ones who wanted to buy it - so it is real double standards."

When asked how he felt if people took offence to the advert, Railton replied: "I think it's quite funny really."

The two dresses sold for $23 on June 16.

The auction centre has received a number of negative and one-star reviews on social media.

Paul Steer posted: "Run by quite possibly the most arrogant, obnoxious man I've seen in 25 years of antique buying and selling."

Clementina Ann Fletcher commented: "Very rude, you give auction houses a bad name."

Roy Anthony Brinkley said: "Is Jim Railton the rudest Auctioneer ever. Disgraceful how he spoke to the road trip people."

Ian Rochester added: "What an arrogant and rude man Jim Railton has shown himself to be on Antiques Roadshow."