BERLIN (Reuters) - Authorities in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen accidentally advertised porn among the services on offer for residents on its website.

"It was a mistake," said a spokesman for the city authorities Tuesday. "There was never any intention of the city providing pornography as a service."

The administrative error arose when an employee compiling the list thought that brothel owners might type "porn" into the search box to find out about the city's sex tax, he added.

The city has now removed the word from the list.

(Reporting by Caroline Copley, editing by Paul Casciato)