Carpet firms in flooring plea

Kidderminster carpet firms are piling in to back a campaign to persuade householders to turn their backs on laminate flooring.

Interior designer Danielle Proud has been chosen to spearhead the campaign by the carpet industry.

An advertising campaign, to be featured on billboards and television adverts, will carry the message for people to have "fun on the floor."

These will feature shots of a semi-clad woman reclining on a carpet and children playing on a shaggy rug.

Lord Harris of Peckham, chairman and chief executive of Carpetright, is leading the campaign and has persuaded rivals to help fund the £4 million project.

He hopes to make people fall in love again with different types of carpet including Wilton and Axminster.

Brockway Carpets, a long established manufacturer for more than 40 years which is based at Hoo Brook in Kidderminster, is part of the campaign. The company manufactures wool rich and tufted carpet.

Managing director Mr Charles Annable said: "We believed people who have had hard flooring have now decided to move back to carpets. They are warm and comfortable. Carpets are also safe and not slippy like laminate flooring."