BOURNEMOUTH'S newest escape room has been given planning permission and is now taking bookings.

U-Escape in Poole Hill operates over two floors and is divided into four separate rooms, including the Barbershop Mystery Game.

Escape rooms are springing up in towns and cities across the UK and have proved particularly popular for groups enjoying birthday, stag or hen parties.

Groups of between two and six people have a limited time to use their brain power and physical dexterity to escape using Crystal Maze-type puzzles.

Earlier this year Escape Rooms Quest! opened in at Charminster Avenue, a laundrette, despite reservations from planning officers over the loss of retail space.

The MacGuffin Project escape room in the former Dusk Till Dawn nightclub in Old Christchurch Road opened in May.