Live stream of English puddle gains massive online following

More than half a million people have tuned in to watch people from the English city of Newcastle try and cross a puddle of water.

The puddle found a devoted following for its day-long broadcast on Wednesday via the live streaming app Periscope, under the hashtag #Drummondpuddlewatch.

More than 547,000 viewers held their breath as they watched the various ways Novocastrians took on the three-metre long body of water.

Some dashed across by going along a side railing, and others ploughed through the middle, not afraid to get their shoes wet.

A man was seen helpfully placing a 'slippery when wet' sign on the edge of the puddle, while men with lilos and surfboards turned up to join in the fun.

A bottle of the puddle water is now up for auction on eBay.

Starting at $2, the auction has escalated to $136,354 after 30 bids.

"This is a nearly full 600ml bottle of genuine Drummond Puddle Watch water from Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne," the lister, polkadotqueen07, writes.

"Own your piece of the world's most famous puddle."

The unlikely viral hit is the brainchild of marketing agency Drummond Central, The Guardian reports.

Managing director Beth Hazon said her staff had watched people from their Newcastle office navigate the puddle for weeks, and decided to livestream for a day.

"It got a lot of attention locally and then, mid-afternoon, it just exploded. We’ve used Periscope before, but it’s never been like this," she told The Guardian.

"All I can say is, god bless the internet."