Cadbury shares soar as bidding war rumoured

The prospect of an £8bn (€11.7bn) bidding war for the drinks arm of Cadbury Schweppes caused shares in the blue-chip company to surge ahead today.

The interest in the US-based operation - best known for Snapple, 7Up and Dr Pepper - comes two months after Cadbury said it would split into two, with the creation of separate drinks and confectionery businesses.