Cooden Beach hotel owner denies rumour

"This keeps coming up - and it's driving me mad," he told the Observer this week.

"The hotel is not for sale, and I haven't had any approaches either. It is complete rubbish."

James Kimber has owned the 60 room hotel for three years now, and employs 41 members of staff.

He commented: "I went down to the Tavern and these two ladies said to me - Oh, Mr Kimber, we are so sorry you have sold the hotel. I said to them - well, I haven't. They then told me they knew I had, and exactly how much for...five million pounds.

"The rumour is driving me round the bend because people booking functions and things want our assurances. People keep asking for our assurance that it is not going to change hands - obviously they like what we are doing.

"I love it here - I have completely refurbished the whole hotel and spent nearly a million pounds now. I haven't gone through all that blood, sweat and tears to pass the benefit on to somebody else."