AN April Fool's Day stunt which caught out more than 10,000 people and the national media has been nominated for a top PR award.

Yorkshire Water's bogus claim to have invented diet tap water on GMTV and Yorkshire TV's Calendar News has been shortlisted in the Best Use of Media Relations category at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Excellence Awards.

On April 1 last year the company announced it was trying out diet tap water and had fitted a third tap into kitchens on a small housing estate, in West Yorkshire.

The story was so convincing that more than 10,000 people called a special hotline, which told them it was a stunt, but tap water really does contain no calories.

A number of national newspapers and a TV documentary company also fell for it, while viewers called neighbouring water companies to inquire when they would be supplying diet tap water.

Yorkshire Water's campaigns and public relations manager David Simister said: "It's been said this was one of the best April Fool's Day jokes ever because it was so plausible, and full credit should go to the team behind it who worked so hard to make sure it was a success."

The winners will be announced at a presentation dinner in London in July.