Internet users from all over the world can take a look around shops and businesses in Chepstow 24 hours a day, as more businesses in Monmouthshire go live with 360-degree online tours.

Google Business Photo Tours take viewers a step further from the street, inviting them to go right inside a business for a virtual visit.

Better Reach, one of Google UK's trusted agencies, has been in the area over recent months taking a series of panoramic photographs of participating businesses. These have been stitched together, mapped, and embedded into Google's servers to produce the finished tours.

The Castle View Hotel in Chepstow is one of the most recent to go live with the tour, it includes the lounge, bar and reception area downstairs, as well as a bedroom on the upper floor.

Michael Currey, partner at the Castle View Hotel in Chepstow, said: "Everyone is using Google these days to find information very quickly, and it's important for us to keep up with new technology.

"Customers want to research where they are going to go out for a glass of wine or an overnight stay before they spend their money.

"In the past, if you were looking for a romantic weekend away for example, you would have to make a booking and just hope that the accommodation would be okay when you got there. Now you can check it out beforehand and see the good standard of what we offer, which takes away any doubt and helps with planning."

Stuart Edmonstone of Better Reach, said: "Until recently, it has been mainly larger retailers and chains which have used this new technology. However, our new high street initiative is aimed at helping smaller, independent businesses get online and encourage more customers to visit as a result.

"We've had a really enthusiastic response from Chepstow and Monmouth, with more and more wanting to showcase the unique features of their individual businesses."

As well as being available through Google maps' search pages, businesses can also embed their tours into websites and share on social media.