QUEUEING is a polite British tradition that our European neighbours snort at.

And not many couples would spend their honeymoon in a line 23 hours a day.

But Mark and Louise Sage, who married a month ago in Florida, have spent two weeks in a caravan on a field in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire since their return.

The couple are 15th in the queue to buy one of 54 former Ministry of Defence homes being refurbished and sold by Annington Homes on July 18.

There are 21 tents and caravans in the queue, including some which have been there since early this month.

One of the conditions is that the home-buying hopefuls must not leave for more than two hours a day, or they could lose their place.

One man even gave up his job to queue night and day in a caravan.

But tonight Mr and Mrs Sage, from Catterick Garrison, have invited all the campers to their nearby wedding reception for friends and family - and bosses at Annington Homes have given them all the evening off.

One said: "It's going to be a welcome relief.

"Some of us have been in this queue for nearly three weeks now and it'll be nice to have the evening off and go and enjoy ourselves."

Mr Sage, 22, said: "We wanted to have a reception back here for all our friends who did not see us get married.

Anita Brown, regional sales manager for Annington Homes, said: "It would be really mean of us to stop them."