A hotel in Dartford is offering a free room for married couples - but there's a catch. They have to be called Mary and Joseph when they turn up to the Campanile on the Crossways Business Park on Christmas Eve.

The hotel is making sure that no Mary and Josephs have to suffer the same fate as Jesus's parents when they arrived in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago.

And despite the rather strict criteria, you don't have to turn up on a donkey - a car is perfectly acceptable (assuming you can make it through the hordes making their way through the Dartford Crossing).

Couples must be married and be able to provide photographic ID, but Joseph doesn’t need to be a carpenter. Pregnancy is not a condition, either.

The modern-day innkeeper, manager Eddie Brosse, said: "It’s that time of year when millions of us hear the tale about how there was no room at the inn for Mary and Joseph, which got us thinking, what if we could do our own little bit to right the wrongs of this?”

“Hotel rooms are in high-demand at Christmas time as people search for accommodation while visiting family – something which the original Mary and Joseph can relate to as they struggled to find a suitable resting place.

“While our rooms are booking up fast, this year we will be reserving one room and a parking space just in case we get a surprise phone call or visit from Mary, Joseph.

“Hopefully by us highlighting the plight of Mary and Joseph, it will encourage people to think about the story behind Christmas and why many of us celebrate it."

The offer doesn't say if there will be gold, frankincense and myrrh alongside the complimentary coffee and biscuits, but no doubt guests can read all about the struggles of the original Mary and Joseph in the bedside Bible.

But what devout Christian will make of the marketing gimmick is another story.

Any couples looking to take advantage of this opportunity should call 01322 278925.