Householders in Bradford are being offered holidays abroad in the hope they will buy a slice in resort accommodation.

Rights and Wrongs reader Joan Armitage received a call from a member of the Sheffield-based BRM Marketing staff claiming the company was doing a survey on holidays.

"They asked me where we liked to go and what we liked to do but the most important questions seemed to be what income bracket we were in.

"Then about two weeks later we got a call from them saying we had won a holiday abroad and we could choose where we went from a number of resorts.

"All we had to do was to travel to Carnforth in Lancashire to the prize-giving.

"I was extremely sceptical and I asked her if it was timeshare and she said definitely not - it's a holiday points club.

"I asked her to send some information through the post for us to look at and she said the company didn't do that."

Mrs Armitage, from Horton Bank Top, refused and turned down the trip.

"I feel sorry that maybe others are taken in by this and through their own expense go to Carnforth and are talked into buying timeshare on the premise they have won a holiday."

Another reader, David Wilson of Tyersal, had a phone call from BRM Marketing after taking part in another telephone survey.

"In the original survey they asked me the ages of the people in the household and our income and that made me wonder."

He was also told later by BRM Marketing that he would have to go to Carnforth that weekend or lose the holiday. "It suddenly dawned on me because my father-in-law went there last year to claim his holiday."

West Yorkshire Trading Standards officer Bruce McKay said a holiday points club operated by its members collecting enough points to spend time in the accommodation they wanted.

"People should be aware of this marketing technique and as long as they accept the holiday for what it is and are prepared to go along to a timeshare or holiday points club presentation which may last several hours, they will probably get their holiday.

"It is important to remember no-one gives you a holiday for nothing - there is always a catch."

But BRM Direct Ltd director Bill Rusling denied his company was trying to deceive the public.

Asked if his staff should not explain that salesmen would be trying to sell them timeshare or holiday points club membership at Carnforth, he said: "We make it very clear there is a two hour presentation and they will be shown round the resort - I think it's abundantly clear."

A spokesman for the Carnforth resort, Pine Lakes, refused to comment.

Timeshare Council Consumer Services Manager, Diana Hanks, said the points club was a "more flexible version" of timeshare and she added:

"There is a cooling-off period of 14 days after signing a contract to buy timeshare or points and they cannot take a deposit from the customer within that period.

"Awards like a holiday are not dependent on you signing anything - they are just a thank you for attending the presentation."

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