Rowling laughs off mansion rumours

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has rubbished reports she is building a palatial 15-bedroom house in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The multi-millionaire mother-of-three and her husband Neil Murray sparked the rumours by purchasing the house next to their existing home and applying for planning permission to join the two properties.

Rowling writes: "I was deeply amused to read recent reports in UK newspapers that we have just applied for planning permission to create a 15-bedroom home.

"It's true that we have been doing building work on our house in Edinburgh, but as we are not setting up a hotel, we went for a slightly more moderate number of sleeping quarters.

"Divide 15 by three and you might find yourself a little closer to the truth."

Rowling has created a section on her website called the 'rubbish bin' in which she sets stories straight when rumours spiral out of control - the categories include 'toxic', 'pure garbage', 'mouldy', 'recycled' and 'starting to smell'.