THE eyes of the country have been turned on to an unassuming house in a quiet suburban street in Clacton.

Previously unbeknown to many, the property in Coan Avenue, Clacton, is home to the only Hindu temple in a 45-mile radius - based in the spare bedroom of Dhirajlal and Sushila Karia, and the subject of much recent media interest.

The couple set up the Shree Ram Mandir almost 30 years ago, shortly after they moved to Essex from London and found nowhere to practice their religion nearby.

After a four day ceremony carried out by priests from India - which included washing statues in the sea - the temple was fully inaugurated, and has since seen about 50,000 people come through its doors.

The Karias treat each and every visitor like a member of their own family, and can often see queues of people waiting to enter the temple, which is situated upstairs at the front of the house.

Grandmother-of-one Mrs Karia, 67, explained why it is important to be kind to everyone she meets.

"As Hindus, we believe in reincarnation and karma, and that what we do in this life impacts on the next one," said the special needs tutor, who works at Clacton's Adult Community College.

"I don't want to do anything wrong, so that next time I might not have arthritis and asthma, for example."