IT was Blackburn with Darwen Council's opposition regeneration spokesman that first suggested the idea.

Having visited Dusseldorf a major European conference city -- several times, Coun Alan Cottam has seen for himself the vetted scheme where delegates stay in the homes of local folk who have agreed to let out their spare rooms.

He is quick to stress that the idea was not intended to be an alternative to a high-quality hotel, which Blackburn has lacked since The County Hotel closed nearly two years ago, but a possible solution to a short-term problem.

He said: "In places like Dusseldorf, which have a lot of conferences, they have a database of people who have a spare room which they are prepared to let out.

"It's all done through agencies and people are carefully vetted. "It could be done for things like visits and exchanges, maybe if there is a conference in the town.

"A top hotel has to be priority, but this could be used to solve problems in the meantime."

He believes that people who live in small terraced cottages could make money taking in people out to follow the area's new William Woodruff experience.

In the Ribble Valley, farms are being encouraged to diversify into tourism as a way of sustaining themselves following the catastrophic affects of foot and mouth.

Town centre hairdresser Jeff Stone said: "It would work if done for niche groups. For example, in Chicago, the Polish community often invite people into their homes and it works very well there.

"In that context, it should be looked at over here.

"There is no reason why it shouldn't work. Visitors do need places to stay."

Council leader Bill Taylor, while insisting that a rent-a-room scheme could not be a serious alternative to a new hotel, said: "Coun Cottam's idea is laudable but, in this case, we are looking for something more Rolls-Royce than people's back bedrooms.

"A top-quality hotel is our priority and we are working hard to bring one into the borough as quickly as we can."