A holiday cottage letting agency has celebrated taking a record number of daily bookings following Boris Johnson’s roadmap for ending lockdown earlier this week.

On Monday, the day of the prime minister’s announcement, Sally’s Cottages took 191 bookings, followed by another 251 on Tuesday – a 514 per cent increase on the same days last year. This is also a considerable increase on their previous record of 120 daily bookings following the end of the first lockdown in 2020.

“We would usually expect about 30 to 40 bookings a day in February,” said founder and director Sally Fielding. “So, this is a really positive step following a difficult 12 months.”

Like many others, Sally’s Cottages had to cancel and rearrange thousands of holidays for their guests throughout 2020 and early 2021 because of national lockdowns and local restrictions.

Sally added: “It was absolutely necessary to prevent people travelling but it has been very difficult on local businesses like our own, as well as everyone who works with and relies on the tourism industry in Cumbria.

"Hopefully we’re on our way to being able to safely travel again later this year and people can get back to their livelihoods.”

Sally’s Cottages has 23 members of staff and works with hundreds of freelancers, including cleaners and maintenance people, most of whom have been unable to work during the pandemic.