London, Jan 6 Budget hotels in the UK have been found to be contaminated with blood, mould, urine and even faeces, an investigation has revealed.

In fact, the "most disturbing" discovery was made in a room at the Ibis hotel on Charles Street in Manchester-there the mattress was so badly soiled that the cover had started to fray and mould had begun to grow.

The investigation by the consumer group 'Which?', during stays at the UK's five most visited budget hotel chains, also found food debris and stray fingernails lying on the floor, and duvets with suspected blood stains.

The five hotel chains investigated were -Travelodge, Premier Inn, Jurys Inn, Ibis and Comfort Inn.

"The rooms we inspected varied quite significantly when it came to standards of cleanliness, adding a whole new meaning to the concept of a dirty weekend," The Telegraph quoted the report as saying.

The investigation found that carpets in one of these hotels contained high levels of dust and the mattress was in such an appalling condition that mould was growing on it.

Other than that, bathrooms were seen with urine streaked down the outside of a toilet and faeces on the toilet seat.

The report claimed that the revelations come, as the budget hotel sector seems to be bucking the downward trend in the hotel market amid the economic downturn.

For the investigation researchers from Which? Holiday inspected 16 rooms in budget chain hotels in London and Manchester during a four-day period in September 2008.

Lorna Cowan editor of Which? Holiday magazine said: "Our investigation was only a snapshot, but we are concerned about the standards of cleanliness we found.

"It is clear from our research that bacteria can be eliminated if appropriate cleaning materials and methods are used - as was the case in some of the rooms we inspected. Paying guests should be guaranteed, at the very least, a clean room."

Experts called for a single accepted standard for hygiene in hotels across the UK to help improve standards. (ANI)