Hotmail offers lifeline to JohnSmith12345

Jump on these newly available UK addresses...

MSN Hotmail is creating millions of new email addresses for UK users with the launch of Hotmail.co.uk.

Until now UK users and those around the world have vied for the ever-diminishing number of addresses @hotmail.com - with the most popular combinations of names being taken long, long, ago and many people having to suffix their names with lengthy numbers and underscores in order to find an address which has not yet been taken.

However, the most popular first names @hotmail.co.uk will be auctioned off to raise money for the NSPCC. So if you want to snap up the most popular boys' or girls' names - currently Jack and Chloe - you'll have to get bidding. MSN is running the auctions in association with eBay.

The accounts will all be starting off with 250MB of space in line with the recent upgrade to Hotmail.com accounts.