A INTERNET company based in Darlington has launched the first phase of its expansion plan.

Bedsearcher, which books everything from budget hostel rooms to five-star hotels, has opened its web link to 23 countries across Europe, including France, Spain, Portugal and Hungary.

The company is one of the region's leading internet businesses and was started in 2002 by Gill Chapple.

Managing director Jim Mann said: "It's really good for the company to be able to now offer overseas rooms for our UK customers when they are travelling. The expansion is not yet fully complete and we will be working hard to improve the way the European search works."

Bedsearcher now offers accommodation booking services in more than 10,000 hotels across Europe and is the UK's leading accommodation booking service.

In the last 12 months, the company has won several awards, including the Visa Innovations Award and the Everywoman Business Women of the Year Award for 25-year-old Ms Chapple.

She is delighted with the expansion and asserts the business' objectives to be the world's leading booking system by the end of 2007.

She said: "Bedsearcher has grown rapidly and continues to take the market by storm.

"This is a landmark for a North-East company, but is only the first step in Bedsearcher's worldwide rollout.

"We have the best selection of accommodation in the UK and are now looking to replicate this the world over."

Bedsearcher will recruit more customer services representatives over the coming months to support both the www.bedsearcher.co.uk and www.bedsearcher.com websites.

For details, call Emma Head on (01325) 366880.