INTERNET booking firm Bedsearcher has moved into bigger headquarters in Darlington - and set its sights on a record-breaking year next year.

The accommodation provider, set up by Gill Chapple and Jim Mann in 2002, has secured fresh private investment and is hoping to create an extra 20 jobs.

Ms Chapple said: "These are very exciting times for Bedsearcher. Securing financial backing within the region has stopped us from being forced down to London.

"We'd much rather stay in the North-East and we're delighted to be staying in our home town of Darlington.

"We are aiming to grow ten-fold over the next 12 months and recent developments have allowed us to improve the business in many ways, particularly technology and marketing.

"We are aiming to be a leader in our field within Europe and it's a very real possibility within the next 12 to 18 months."

Bedsearcher connects people with more than 8,500 hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses in the UK, as well as accommodation in 23 European countries.

The company's new headquarters - which also houses a customer support centre - is based at the Nestfield Industrial Estate, in Darlington.