A YOUTH hostel refurbished at a cost of £300,000 a year ago has become one of the first UK winners of a leading European green award.

The hostel, at Lockton, near Pickering, has been awarded the European Ecolabel by Defra, which runs the green scheme in the UK.

The Ecolabel is a European Commission award scheme and its flower logo can only be used where strict environmental criteria are met.

To win the award, the hostel had to show that it met the highest standards in respect of its impact on the environment - from efficient use of energy and water through to staff training about green issues.

Funding from Defra's Rural Enterprise Scheme helped Lockton to introduce environmentally-responsible features that help minimise the environmental impact of visiting tourists.

The environmental benefits include a 30 per cent reduction in water consumption and a 40 per cent fall in carbon dioxide emissions.

Other features include showers heated by solar panels on the hostel roof and a system that harvests rainwater.

The building is insulated using sheep's wool and a living sedum roof, whose foliage provides a habitat for local wildlife as well as adding extra insulation.