The Bank Holiday heatwave provided a much-needed boost to Cumbrian local businesses after the setbacks of the Coronavirus pandemic, says the county's tourism board.

The combination of fine, dry weather and warm temperatures for the duration of Saturday, Sunday and Monday saw people swarm to beer gardens and beauty spots across the county.

The influx has provided a boon for the local economy given the now-added cost of living crisis. The start of the year had been slow for the leisure and tourism industries.

Rachel Tyson, Head of Partnerships & Projects at Cumbria Tourism, said: "Reports from businesses indicate that they had a very busy bank holiday weekend, with high footfall, and the good weather certainly contributed to that.

"Amid rising costs and a relatively slow start to the year, this has been a much-needed boost for many tourism operators. With sunshine also forecast for the beginning of June, this is a positive start to what we hope will be a strong summer season for businesses.” 

The good weather looks set to continue, at least for this week. Conditions will remain dry into the weekend. In the coming week highs of 21C are expected across the UK.