'Death trap' bed in real estate listing raises eyebrows

Anyone who's wandered through an IKEA store knows there are some truly ingenious ways to maximise pokey living spaces.

However, a UK real estate listing has served as a reminder that just because you can find a way, doesn't mean you necessarily should.

Advertising a "spacious and well converted" studio flat in Worthing, West Sussex, the listing included photos of the loft-style space, featuring a bed perched in a rather precarious location.

With one end fixed to the wall, the bed lies across the banister at the top of the stairwell, with a wooden stepladder at its side for access.

When screenshots were posted on Twitter by user @unfortunatalie, many were quick to point out that any sideways movement could prove risky.

"There can't be many places where you can fall out of bed and down the stairs at the same time," @smallsy wrote.

"You're telling me if I fall out of my bed, I'm going down the stairs," @nikrai2 tweeted.

It's not only sleeping bodies we need to be mindful of, @GingerElanor pointed out: "What about when you fall asleep with your phone and it rolls out of bed and falls all the way down the stairs?"

However, others reasoned that the floating shelf positioned next to the bed, suspended from the ceiling, would prevent any potential injury:

Some were slightly kinder, praising the unusual "out of the box" thinking on display, while others questioned the need for such, uh, creativity in the first place:

Disconcerting as it may be, it seems the "death trap" bed, as one commenter labelled it, wasn't enough to deter someone from renting the property.

The listing now states the flat is no longer on the market; one can only guess whether its online notoriety contributed to it being snapped up.