A regional daily has launched a Facebook campaign to bring a giant water slide to its patch.

The News, Portsmouth, has launched an online push to get the 1,000 foot-long inflatable flume, which is set to tour the UK this summer, to the city.

The tour is being run by American firm Slide the City, which has announced it may bring the attraction to either Portsmouth or its traditional Hampshire rival Southampton.

A Facebook page urging readers to convince the company to choose the former has been set up by The News, with the paper claiming it has been told the city will be selected to host the slide if it racks up enough ‘likes’ on the social networking site.

Slide the City says it would also need to find a suitable location to place the ride, pictured above, and The News has also asked readers to come up with suggestions as to where it could be based.

The slide allows thrill seekers to ride on inflatable tubes, while the event also includes live music, food, drinks and other water-based activities.

The News’s editor Mark Waldron said: “We have seen the great fun that other cities around the UK have enjoyed with the giant slide and we want to ensure that the people of Portsmouth do not miss out.

“We currently find ourselves on Slide the City’s ‘coming soon’ list but worryingly down as Portsmouth/Southampton while they try to find a suitable location.

“So we wanted to show to the organisers through our bringthewaterslidetoportsmouth Facebook page that our fun-loving readers would make this a great success in our city.”