Former Tory minister Michael Heseltine has paid �19,000 for two fibreglass cows decorated by artists.

The life-size beasts were two of 60 auctioned by Sotheby's on Thursday, raising �358,800 for the ChildLine charity.

They formed part of the CowParade exhibition, featuring 150 bovines which have been on display on the streets of London since June.

Celebrities have been involved in designing the cows

The animals were painted and decorated in a multitude of styles by artists, celebrities and members of the public.

The most expensive cows included Martha by artist Patrick Hughes and Miss Mooney Penny which each raised �11,000.

Mr Heseltine paid �10,000 for Beefeater - It Ain't Natural and �9,000 for Madame Lavache Goes To Market.

CowParade London was originally planned to hit the city in 2001 as part of an ongoing public art event that claims to be the world's largest.

But the foot-and-mouth crisis - and the consequent mass slaughter of farm animals - meant the exhibition had to be postponed.

Similar events have already taken place in Zurich, Chicago and New York, where the most expensive cow was sold for $100,000 (�70,000). Oprah Winfrey and Ringo Starr were among the celebrity bidders.

Celebrity designers

Esther Rantzen, chair of ChildLine, said: "We are thrilled thousands of children will get the help they desperately need and that 60 cows will go to great homes."

Actress Maureen Lipman and TV presenter Des Lynam were among the celebrities who submitted designs for the cows.

A spokeswoman for CowParade said: "It was unbelievable because so many people came up to us to say they absolutely love the cows, that they made them laugh and were beautiful contemporary pieces of artwork."

They have appeared in Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Canary Wharf and London tube stations during the exhibition.

The idea for CowParade came from Swiss-born artist Walter Knapp, who set up the first Cow Parade in 1998 in his home town of Zurich. It featured a total of 800 decorated cows.