Head house keepers Anne Satchell and Claire MoweBlunsdon House Hotel is flushed with success after its toilets were named among the finest in the country.

The hotel has won a four star award from organisers of the Loo of the Year award.

Undercover judges, who visited a string of hotels across the country, were impressed by the tastefully decorated toilet areas with pine mirrors, wicker chairs and touch button taps.

"We're very proud of our loos," said Sue Wilson, business development manager of the hotel, which was built on the site of an old pig farm.

"This sort of thing is very important and we are delighted to receive this award for the eighth year running."

In the retail category, the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Village also picked up four stars.

Spokeswoman Nicola Allen said it was a great achievement and recognised the hard work of staff from Corporate Facilities Services.

The overall winner of the Awards was the Eden Project, a Cornish visitor attraction featuring giant biomes full of tropical plants, which receives up to 10,000 visitors a day.

The annual awards were organised by UK Tourist boards and the English Tourism Council.

Judges inspected 3,000 toilets across 18 award categories to come up with the final winners.

Award director Richard Chisnell said: "It's heartening to see real increases in standards of toilet provision becoming more widespread across the UK."

ONE of the most popular day-trip destinations in the Swindon area has received an accolade in the Loo of the Year Awards.

Cotswold Wildlife Park, near Burford, was awarded a four-star rating in the category for leisure venues and parks.

The award scheme, endorsed by tourist boards across the country, has been running since 1987.

This year, it attracted more than 80 entries.

The wildlife park attracts an average of more than 350,000 visitors per year.

Park director Reggie Heyworth said: "This is a great tribute to the hard work of our hygiene team."