TRAVEL agents across East Lancashire today reported a healthy number of holiday bookings -- despite fears a recent surge in last-minute holidays would affect sales.

Industry workers said they had taken deposits for both foreign and domestic breaks as people turned their thoughts from the dreary weather to sunshine trips.

There had been concerns that bookings in late December and January would fall short of expectations after holidaymakers returned to the trend of last minute getaways.

East Lancashire travel giant MyTravel, which employs hundreds of people in Accrington and Helmshore, cashed in early with a special low-deposit, discount campaign in September in a bid to woo travellers back to the trend of booking ahead.

Today agents said they had enjoyed a busy time.

Tony Quinn, manager of Clitheroe Travel, in Castle Street, said: "Bookings have been very busy. There are a lot of cheap deals around at the moment but the snow has come early so we are selling a lot of ski deals.

"The cold weather has probably helped, because the Canaries are proving very popular too."

Travel agents Fraser Eagle, based in Accrington, Great Harwood and Oswaldtwistle, are looking forward to a bumper January.

A spokesman said: "Our most popular holidays are Spain and Greece.

"People from East Lancashire choose these because they are nearby and good, friendly resorts. The trends that we have got in East Lancashire are that people are looking for holidays that offer that bit extra.

"They are wanting that little bit more than the average package holiday, and inclusive holidays are also popular."

Agents said the most popular foreign destinations for East Lancashire sun-seekers remained the Balearics, Spain and Greece but that the domestic holiday was still more popular than travelling abroad for Brits. Skiing and snowboarding bookings were also proving popular.

The Fraser Eagle spokesman added: "More people are booking two or more holidays a year now.

"And you find that continental bookings are as strong as they are last year and domestic holidays, such as weekend breaks, are going up."

A spokesman from the Association of British Travel Agents added: "January is by far the busiest month for booking family holidays.

"Families are looking to go at a particular time of year, such as the school holidays, and if they leave it very late now its very expensive.

"Late booking is getting less and less common. Many people think that late bookings means you get a bargain but often it doesn't work out that way."

He added that the most popular destinations abroad are the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Southern Spain and France, with increasingly popular countries being Turkey and Croatia.