"F-word" banned in World Cup-free hotel

LONDON, May 31 (Reuters) A British hotel is offering football-free breaks for ''soccer widows'' desperate to escape wall-to-wall coverage of the World Cup.

Any guest who overhears a member of staff mentioning the f-word -- football -- will be given a free glass of champagne.

''The bookings are starting to stream in,'' said Mike Bevans, manager of the Linthwaite House Hotel in the picturesque Lake District, one of Britain's prime tourist destinations.

The sport supplements are being taken out of daily newspapers and, instead of blanket TV coverage of the big games, guests will be offered a string of romantic movies on DVD like ''Dirty Dancing'' and ''Pretty Woman.'' The World Cup finals in Germany start on June 9, with the final in Berlin on July 9.

REUTERS PM BD1538