Cockermouth Youth Hostel will be put up for sale after attempts to find someone to lease it failed.

Two parties were in the running to lease the building, but one pulled out and Cockermouth Town Council voted unanimously not to lease it to the other party.

Double Mills Youth Hostel, off Fern Bank, is owned by the council and was leased by the Youth Hostel Association for more than 80 years.

The former corn mill, which was one of the oldest youth hostels in the country, was initially due to close at the end this month.

The Youth Hostel Association decided to end its lease earlier due to low occupancy rates.

Councillors were due to hear pitches from both firms interested in taking it on at a specially-convened meeting.

Sheila Brown, town clerk, said: "The second party ruled themselves out which left us with one party.

"The town council felt that the type of business that it is would not be appropriate for that location.

"It was a hard decision for the town council to make and not one they particularly wanted to make, but will go on the open market."

The hostel opened in 1933, two years after the Youth Hostel Association was set up.

The association leased it from the council.

More than four feet of water washed into the building during the 2009 floods, but it began welcoming guests again in February 2010.

In 2007 there was uproar after the hostel applied for a 24-hour entertainment licence for live music and dance events, but it was granted at an Allerdale council meeting.

Councillors were told at a meeting in May that the building would need £60,000 to £80,000 worth of work doing to bring it up to standard.

The association announced last December that the hostel would close, saying it was unable to make it viable.