The story of the goldfish, the camel and the soda siphon

Couples snorkelling in the bath and hosing each other down with sodawater are just some of the weird, watery ways of hotel guests, according to a survey of hotels in the UK.

The aquatic anecdotes from the AA also revealed the Chinese guest who asked for a goldfish to take in the bath with him to aid relaxation.

In another watery hotel adventure, a camel race went wrong when one of the camels broke loose and went for a swim in the hotel's lake.

The examples of unusual habits are listed in the new 1998 AA Hotel Guide.

They include:

* The guest at a hotel in The Lizard, Cornwall who ordered several siphons of sodawater and then later apologised for soaking the bed and surrounding area. He explained he and his lady love enjoyed squirting the water at each other.

* A flood caused by a couple at a hotel in Poole, Dorset, who were found snorkelling together in the bath.

* Hotels in Devon reported instances of portly guests getting wedged in the bath and having to summon help.

*The Japanese guest at Llangollen in Wales who flooded two floors and a banqueting area after leaving the bath running and going for a long walk.

* A cleaner at a hotel in Portland, Dorset, who was startled to find a wet toupee dripping over the bath.

* The basset hound that got into a hotel room in Ashburton, Devon, and pinched a woman's knickers while she was in the bath.

* The Japanese guests who booked three rooms in Carmarthen, south Wales, but all used the same bath because they liked the view down the River Wye.