Stricken British bank Northern Rock has received a number of approaches, including a possible offer for the company, it said yesterday.

The bank said it was in "preliminary discussions with selected parties" and, as the outcome of discussions was uncertain, it was cancelling its half-year dividend due to be paid next month. By cancelling the dividend, it was backtracking in the face of a political backlash about the £60 million (€85.7 million) payment.

The latest announcement came just hours before the shares were due to trade without the right to the 14.2 pence dividend and was another blow to investors who have seen the value of their shares crash 75 per cent in less than two weeks.

Politicians had urged Northern Rock to scrap the payout, saying that since the UK government has guaranteed its deposits, it would send the wrong message to taxpayers.

Its shares fell another 5.2 per cent yesterday to 163.1p, after hitting an all-time low of 159.8p.

Earlier yesterday, a source close to the British treasury said the government had appointed US investment bank Goldman Sachs to advise it on Northern Rock. Goldman was advising on matters relating to the guarantee safeguarding depositors, the source said.

Britain's fifth-biggest mortgage lender said the approaches concerned a variety of potential transactions.