A HOTEL owner has taken part in a 'random act of kindness' after organising an Easter egg hunt for families across North East Lancashire.

The owner of The Lawrence Hotel in Padiham has teamed up with work colleagues to hide 100 chocolate Easter eggs around the town and in neighbouring towns - Burnley and Colne on Thursday and Good Friday.

Dozens of people have been 'running around crazy' trying to find the different chocolate eggs, which have been hidden at bus stations, parks, pubs, hairdressers, chemists and tattoo shops.

Lawrence Hotel owner Michael Huckerby, who has spearheaded the free Easter event, came up with the idea following the 'success' of a previous competition he ran in America where 200 food and drink festival vouchers were hidden around the city of New York.

The thinking behind this year's competition, according to Mr Huckerby, was to bring some 'positivity' into the community during the Easter holidays for a town he described as 'on the up'.

The 31-year-old said: "Padiham is a town that has been through hard times and when we first took over the hotel the biggest problem we identified for the town was the feeling that no-one really cared about it.

"It was like a self propelling ecosystem - if no-one cares no-one does anything. It was thought that a random act of kindness could spread some positivity in the area and that's what we intended to do."

Nearly 50 eggs have been found in North East Lancashire so far, including outside a chemist in Colne, near M&S in Burnley town centre and two Easter eggs were found inside Jack Jones, Gentleman's Lounge barber shop in Padiham.

Barber owner Annette Shuttleworth, 46, who has lived in Padiham for 16 years, said: "It's a great idea and we have had a great reaction.

"People have been running around crazy trying to get the eggs.

"Some people who came in to get the eggs said they did not realise there was a barber shop here and actually came back. It means I've got some new customers from it."

People who have found the Easter eggs, and posted an image of it on the hotel's Facebook page, have been entered into a raffle draw where they could win a night stay one of the hotel's Duplex suites.

The draw for the raffle will take place at the hotel, in Church Street, on Friday.