High prices paid as bidders flock to get their hands on a Larkin toad

And now the Larkin toads have brought a smile to local charities, after fetching more than 60,000 at auction – twice what was expected.

More than 250 people packed the former warehouse in Humber Street in the city with more than 100 others having to wait – and bid – from outside.

Bidding was brisk for the giant glass fibre toads, which were released into the urban jungle in July, as part of events to mark the life of the poet Philip Larkin.

Of the 28 to go under the hammer, Lobelia toad raised 3,600, the highest price on the day.

BBC Look North weatherman Paul Hudson's toad, Weather Rain or Shine, made 3,100 – 800 more than his onscreen sparring partner, presenter Peter Levy's toad, Harlequin, Mischievous Man of Mystery.

Spacehopper – the toad which had its spacesuit damaged and graffiti scrawled on its back – was taken out of the sale at the 11th hour after being bought by children from Hessle Road as a mascot for their youth centre.

Larkin With Toads project manager Clare Huby said: "It has been a fantastic success. The critics have obviously thinned out.

"We've had some lovely phone calls from people who were sceptical, saying they'd changed their minds. At the end of the day this hasn't come from the public purse. It's a fantastic example of how local businesses and local people can get behind something and make it work."

At least four toads – including Magenta Toad, which was stolen and later found abandoned by the A63 – will stay in their current locations.

Despite a rough patch at the beginning, the project has proved a success. Hull Council pulled the plug on 200,000 funding after an uproar about the expense. However, since they have been in place, the toads have been a huge hit.

The idea for Larkin with Toads came from the poet and former Hull University librarian's two poems Toads and Toads Revisited.