Rangers fans have booked almost every available hotel room in the north-west of England for next week's Uefa Cup Final in Manchester.

Supporters have filled an estimated 50,000 beds in Greater Manchester and nearly as many again in Blackpool - the resort that is fast turning into a base camp for the Scottish fans ahead of the May 14 clash with Zenit St Petersburg.

Tourism officials in Manchester yesterday admitted they were recommending Rangers fans look for accommodation as far away as Leeds as the city finally acknowledged it would have to cater for tens of thousands of ticketless supporters. Greater Manchester Police cancelled all unscheduled leave and Manchester City Council agreed to put up five giant screens in the city centre, along with special "mixed" fan zones.

Previously, authorities in the city had been warning anyone without a ticket for the match to stay away.

The council's city centre spokesman, Pat Karney, said: "The Uefa Cup Final day will be a very busy one for the city and I'm sure that Manchester people will give a fantastic welcome to fans of the Scottish and Russian teams.

"Our city is well used to friendly invasions of many thousands of visitors for major events, including the Commonwealth Games in 2002. The fan zones, pubs and clubs will provide lots of opportunities for fans not lucky enough to have match tickets to see the match and soak up the party atmosphere."

The special fan zones will be in Albert Square, the open area in front of Manchester's historic town hall; Piccadilly Gardens and Cathedral Gardens - all in the city centre.

Supporters from Zenit and Rangers are expected to mix in the zones, although authorities think most Russian fans will arrive with tickets and will, therefore, watch the game in the City of Manchester stadium rather than on one of the screens provided. Officials yesterday privately admitted they were now bracing themselves for between 60,000 and 100,000 more visitors than they had originally expected for the Uefa Cup Final. Fans were urged to use public transport in the city centre as Manchester City Council planned a series of road closures. Authorities have ordered 300 extra portable toilets for the city centre and readied an army of extra street cleaners.

Rangers fans were forced to compete for hotel rooms with mortgage advisers, who are holding a major conference in Manchester next week but who have had months to plan their trip.

Thousands of supporters have chosen to go to Blackpool, which has 2000 hotels and guesthouse with space for 60,000 people. However, even Blackpool, a favourite among Glasgow holidaymakers, admitted it was struggling to find free rooms.

"Hoteliers have been overwhelmed by the amount of people heading for Blackpool to watch the match," said a spokeswoman for the resort's tourism authority. "They will be made very welcome."

Last night it was still far from clear how many fans would make it over to the game from St Petersburgh. The British Consulate in the city has been working 24 hours a day this week, despite today being a national holiday in Russia, to process a maximum anticipated 12,000 visa applications.

Some fans, however, fear they will not get documents in time to make the trip. The UK Government yesterday announced that it would waive charges for all visas for supporters with tickets.

Zenit yesterday said it had sold around 7000 briefs and expected to take receipt of another 5000. The club, however, also started accepting returns from supporters yesterday as some Russians realised their visit to Manchester would cost more than they thought.