A leading government minister was in St Annes this week to get a first hand look at what is said to be Britain's first fully accessible hotel.

Minister for disabled people, Anne McGuire MP, had a look behind the scenes at the St Annes Hotel, currently being extensively refitted to make every room accessible to disabled people, on Tuesday.

And the minister urged businesses across the Fylde Coast not to miss out on significant parts of the tourism market by failing to make buildings accessible to all.

"I hope places like this will be a beacon for other hotel groups in how they make provisions for access," said Mrs McGuire: "Businesses are now starting to realise that changes are not only necessary because of the law but also because businesses will benefit from it.

"Disabled people come on holiday with their families and friends to enjoy themselves in the same way that other families do. Holiday resorts such as those on the Fylde Coast need to introduce facilities to attract them.

"Sometimes disabled people feel the only time they get anything is if they make a fuss. We want to create an environment where they don't need to make a fuss."

The hotel, being developed by the Active8 Hotels Group, promises 26 rooms, including self-catering suites, all of which have specialist equipment to help people with all kinds of disability. It is due to open on August 26 and is already attracting considerable interest.

"We are hoping to provide a very luxurious hotel that appeals to everybody, disabled or not," said operations manager, Clare Winbolt: "I would say we are only hotel with these facilities in the UK. What we want to do is bring something different and we are confident that our hotel will be extremely successful."