The French president had a £250,000 shower built for him using European taxpayers' money - only for it to be torn down, unused, days after being completed, it was revealed yesterday.

The luxury unit - which had air conditioning and radio 'surround sound' - was built to the exact specifications of 1.6m (5ft 5in) Nicolas Sarkozy for a three-day summit in Paris.

But, instead, he decided to wash in the Élysée Palace ten minutes away.

At the time France held the rotating EU presidency, which meant Mr Sarkozy had an unlimited budget to furnish his capital's Grand Palace for the event in July last year.

Accounts released by France's national audit office show that installing the shower in a listed building involved numerous professionals, from architects to plumbers, and state-of-the-art materials.

Like most of the equipment bought for the £16million conference, it was disposed of soon afterwards.

Other details about the refurbishment emerged earlier this week. A report says: 'The Grand Palace had to be completely refitted for the occasion - 500 technicians were mobilised every day, including 300 at night.'

Other expenses included £1million spent on the opening dinner alone - more than £23,000 for each of the 43 heads of state, including Gordon Brown. Around £300,000 was spend on the conference podium, £90,000 on a carpet and £195,000 on the gardens.

France's six-month presidency of the EU was one of the most expensive in history at £160million.

Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'It's small wonder the EU is so wasteful if the people who are meant to make it work for us are getting pampered in the lap of luxury.'

And Nigel Farage, of Ukip, said: 'The Napoleonic ambition of Brussels is underlined by the throwaway extravagance of its elite.'