They are everywhere, popping up all over the country offering a decent night's sleep for a reasonable price.

But one budget hotel company has dec­ided to expand into the final frontier - and has bought a plot on the Moon.

Premier Inn claims it will welcome visitors fresh off the shuttle from Earth within 25 years. But first it has to work out how to carry materials for the 4,000 sq m (43,000 sq ft) building into space.

The challenges are unique and no doubt as we learn more we will adapt and improve our designs,' said the company's construction director, Alex Flach.

The hotel would need thick insulation to protect against solar radiation and ­extreme temperatures, which range from ­ -180ºC (-292ºF) to 130ºC (266ºF).

Air would have to be imported and the building would need to be pressurised.

But Premier Inn reckons lunar tourism will be common in 20 or 30 years.

The first tourist jaunts to space are scheduled to take off next year.