CUMBRIA Tourism is calling for a 'consistent' approach across the UK after fears that visitors may choose to travel elsewhere were sparked by the introduction of new Covid-19 restrictions.

As of yesterday, gatherings of more than six people across England were made illegal by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The number of people that can attend social gatherings has been slashed to six in England after a steep rise in Covid-19 cases across the UK.

The rules apply across England to all ages and in any setting either indoors and outdoors, at home or a pub.

This has brought waves of concern to tourism reliant businesses - as families over the six person limit are now forced to cancel their holidays.

Calls are being made for England to follow the approach of Scotland and Wales, who say that children under a set age limit do not count towards the total members in a bubble.

Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, Gill Haigh, says: “Our tourism industry is continuing to work hard to adapt to the evolving government guidelines. The general principle is that as long as businesses operate in a COVID-safe way, they can continue operating as they have been – provided they don’t gather in groups of more than six people.

“However, businesses are reporting that the latest restrictions have knocked the confidence of our visitors, some of whom are postponing or cancelling visits when they don’t really need to. That’s why we have already written to the Government to ask for further clarification so people are crystal clear on what they can and can’t do. In the meantime, our advice to visitors who are unsure is to chat directly with their accommodation provider who can give them that additional reassurance.

“We are also concerned about the rules for under 12s, with England including children in the ‘Rule of Six’ while the restrictions in Wales and Scotland do not include children under 11 and 12 respectively. Again, we have been in direct contact with the Government on this issue, as we would like to see a more consistent approach applied across the three nations to avoid confusing potential visitors or even discouraging them from coming to Cumbria in favour of Wales or Scotland.”