A south Cumbrian estate agency has branched out by setting up its first office in the north of the county.

Hackney & Leigh has opened a new sales and letting office on Keswick’s Bank Street, bringing its total number of offices to nine.

The business already has two offices in Windermere, as well branches in Ambleside, Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, Grange, Carnforth and Arnside.

Keswick sales and lettings manager Nick Elgey said the expansion would allow it to cover the whole of the Lakes.

“If you look at the Cumbrian property market there are number of micro markets within the county,” he said.

“The Lake District also benefits from wide ranging national demand.

“There is demand for us in Keswick and we want to be able to fully cover the Lake District National Park which is our area of specialism.

“Keswick is a very strong market and it’s a natural fit for our operation

“We are delighted to be opening our new Keswick branch as its addition to the existing office network now allows us to offer true coverage of the entire Lake District National Park.

“There are going to be four staff in the office, including myself, and that will be four new jobs coming into the community.”

He said the estate agency sector had gone through “monumental” change in recent years, particularly due to the rise of internet based businesses.

However, Hackney & Leigh was “totally committed to providing a high street service”.

“That’s what’s proving a winning formula for us,” Nick said.

“We are able to give a first class service through a specialist branch in a high street location where the staff are trained, we are committed to operating in that way.”

Hackney & Leigh was founded in 1982 by Derrick Hackney and John Leigh.