Hotel chain Travelodge is to create 650 jobs this summer.

Travelodge said its earnings jumped by almost a fifth in the first half of the year as the British budget hotel chain said it planned to boost its expansion plans by building 45 hotels over the next two years.

Travelodge has revealed a surge in profits as the UK budget hotel chain's owners reportedly line it up for a sale that could value the business at more than £1bn - three years after its near-collapse.