Music stars hold auction for Haiti earthquake victims

Coldplay's Chris Martin is auctioning off his Viva La Vida tour jacket

Some of Britain's top musicians are teaming up with the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival to raise money for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and The Chemical Brothers will auction off prizes on eBay to raise funds.

Among the items up for grabs is an offer from Damon Albarn to record a specially written piece of music.

Alex Turner has also handed over the Fender Stratocaster guitar he used in Arctic Monkeys' video for I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.

The auction runs for 10 days and closes at 9am on Tuesday 2 February.

People will be able to bid for Coldplay singer Chris Martin's Viva La Vida tour jacket, signed by the rest of the band, two pairs of VIP tickets to Glastonbury and the chance of a hot shower at the Eavis' farmhouse during the festival.

There are also items from The Kooks, The Magic Numbers, Basement Jaxx and Pearl Jam.

'Doubly unfair'

Emily Eavis, who travelled to Haiti with Oxfam in 2002 to meet coffee farmers supported by the charity, said: "We felt it was important to do whatever we could to help as quickly as possible.

"I visited Haiti in 2002 and it's the poorest place I've ever been by a long way.

"It seems doubly unfair that it should be hit by such a devastating earthquake, especially after the hurricanes of the last two years."

Chris Martin, who was in Haiti with Emily Eavis at the same time, added: "I visited Haiti a few years ago. It's a country of extreme poverty and brutal living conditions.

"Most people in Port-au-Prince live in tin shacks. The earthquake that has struck Haiti will have turned the city into an unimaginable hell.

"The people of Haiti will be desperate for help and assistance."