A DUTCH couple have joined the opposition to the possible closure of the Winchester youth hostel.

Pieter and Rita Boogaart stayed at the hostel in Water Lane in 1966 during their first visit to Winchester and England, a city and a country they have grown to love.

Speaking outside the hostel, Pieter said: "We have many fond memories of it. It is one of the most romantic hostels we have stayed at. And we have stayed in many."

Rita added: "We would be very sorry to see it go. Winchester needs a hostel for the young visitors.''

The hostel inside the City Mill features in the couple's best-selling book A272 - An Ode to a Road which has just been updated and republished.

In September the Daily Echo revealed the threat to the future of the 31-bed hostel which dates back to 1934 and is one of the oldest in the country.

The landlord, the National Trust, is considering taking some of its space, threatening its viability. A decision is expected in the new year.

Rita said: "I would have thought the hostel and the trust could co-operate. To have no hostel in a city like Winchester that depends on tourists is unthinkable. It would be a disaster for the city."

A272 - An Ode to a Road has now sold about 18,500 copies and featured on national TV and newspapers.

It is a guide book and tribute to all the towns, villages and places of interest along the road which runs from Kent to Crawley near Winchester.