A READER has called on the tourist and hospitality industry to hire British workers and ‘treat them fairly,’ after a campaign in Cumbria was launched to boost recruitment.

With Cumbria Tourism claiming 34 per cent of businesses were concerned about recruitment in April, Anthony Perkins believes a solution can be found.

He argued: "Employ British workers, treat them fairly, give them a decent pension scheme and pay them decent wages then instead of relying on cheap imported EU labour, paying them pocket money wages and treating them like dogs, being the greedy employers that you are!"

However, Darren Miller responded with: "All well and good, but some companies do all the things you ask for and still they can’t get staff.

"Plenty of jobs going up in the Lakes that aren’t getting filled."

The Love Local Jobs Tourism and Hospitality campaign is being backed by Newsquest / LOCALiQ Cumbria and Stagecoach.

It will mean Newsquest’s print and online recruitment platforms will be accessible free of charge to any business with vacancies in the sector.

However, some readers are adamant that jobs are available to people who are currently unemployed and believe there are now ‘no lame excuses’.

One reader remarked: “No lame excuses. No easy ride in life. Jobs are there.”

Another reader commented: “Absolutely!! All the ones who claimed their jobs were taken by foreigners well come on step up and get yourself a job!”

"There’s 1.7 million unemployed and over two million on furlough and that will be reflected in Cumbria too," a reader claimed.

"Those on furlough are allowed to do other work, so they could seek temporary jobs in the hospitality sector until their original jobs are resurrected.

"The universities and colleges will soon be breaking up and there’ll be thousands of students seeking temporary work."

Lee Taylor-Cradock, sales director of Local iQ Cumbria said: "The campaign will see us make our in print and online recruitment platforms accessible free of charge for any business which currently has vacancies within the sector.

"The free advert will appear across our entire portfolio of print products reaching more than 183.3k readers every week, as well as appearing on our websites attracting more than 2.5million browsers a month and be listing on our national job board."