LONDON (Reuters) - Single Britons looking for love are being offered a new way of finding a partner -- by advertising their charms on a billboard.

The first hoarding depicting 16 hopefuls went up in Birmingham this week, alongside the slogan "Who Dares Dates" and a telephone number for passers-by to call.

"People just love the glamour of having their face shown on a big billboard," said Dan Monteigh, Billboard Dating managing director.

Dating by billboard is more expensive, at 125 pounds ($205) a shot, than finding a partner online. But Monteigh is convinced the billboards will be a hit because they are in prominent places, such as outside railway stations.

Over 50 people have signed up so far, with women slightly keener than men and most interest from people in their 20s.

The practice is the latest U.S. dating technique to cross the Atlantic and follows speed-dating, in which groups of men and women meet each other for just a few minutes.