Last minute holidays in UK 'increasingly popular'

British expatriates returning home to see family or have a break may be behind a growing trend for last-minute bookings in English accommodation.

James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland, said his organisation's research has highlighted that 40 per cent of accommodation businesses reported more last-minute bookings in April and May this year than for the same period last year.

"It seems an expectation that this will continue is keeping confidence levels high for a good summer. There are always bargains to be had in England and visitors can find lots of two-for-one and kids-go-free deals" he added.

Separate research from TripAdvisor also found that last-minute bookings are up, with a steep rise in internet searches after the England football team crashed out of the World Cup.

Advice from GetSafeOnline.org and ABTA, The Travel Association maintains that holidaymakers should be vigilant when surfing online for last-minute travel deals, as a new survey revealed that 30 per cent of bargain hunters did not check the authentic of the sites they were booking from.