Two Cumbrian holiday parks have been sold to an experienced operator after their former owner went into administration.

Lakeland View Residential Park at Nethertown, near Egremont, and Silecroft Holiday Park, near Millom, have been sold to a group owned by Leicester-based businessman Tony Barney, who runs parks throughout the UK under the Countrywide Park Homes and Lifestyle Homes NI (Northern Ireland) brands.

Both were part of Lifestyle Living UK along with other sites in Norfolk and Suffolk.

This company - which was owned by Mr Barney until 2014 - went into administration in December.

Joint administrators Jason Baker and Miles Needham of FRP Advisory though have announced that the business and assets of Lifestyle Living have been bought by Mr Barney, who will maintain the brand name, saving 30 jobs across the UK.

Mr Baker said: “We are pleased to have secured a sale of the entire business and all the sites of Lifestyle Living to experienced caravan and leisure site operator Tony Barney, who has a sound understanding of each site’s unique geography and customer base thanks to his years of prior ownership and solid stewardship of the group. We wish Lifestyle Living the very best under new ownership."

He also said that bookings at the park had remained strong and that this is expected to continue as the falling pound encourages more people to holiday in the UK.

Mr Barney, said: “It is great to be back in at Lifestyle Living and I look forward to re-invigorating the sites so that they can serve another generation of holiday-users and lodge owners with the high standards they have come to expect. With more than 30 years of experience in the holiday and residential parks sector, I could see an opportunity to come back to a business which I helped build up and take it on to a new level.

"I remain committed to investing in locations which, like those of Lifestyle Living, offer tranquility for residents, yet remain within easy access to towns or villages with essential amenities. I welcome approaches from other park owners who are looking to secure a confidential sale of their park.”