A Düsseldorf court has postponed any decision on whether to prolong a temporary injunction on E.ON's €10bn ($10bn) takeover of Ruhrgas, a German gas supplier, until the beginning of August.

The court has said it wants more time to evaluate the arguments presented at a packed hearing on Wednesday. A Frankfurt-based lawyer said: "This will delight E.ON's critics and dismay E.ON. The delay is just more time for the deal to go cold. The longer it drags on the worse it gets."