THE new owners of a leading South Lakeland self-catering letting agency are aiming to be the best in the business.

Fellow directors Paul Liddell and Lynne Lewthwaite have bought Lakelovers holiday homes late last month from Carole Latham-Warde for an undisclosed sum.

She founded the business in Bowness more than 20 years ago but felt the time was right to retire.

The new owners, who together have more than two decades of experience in the self-catering industry throughout South Lakeland, plan to develop the firm's customer service.

Mr Liddell is a former partner at Cumbrian Properties, while Ms Lewthwaite was the South Lakeland manager for the estate agent.

They plan to retain all existing 10 staff, including maintenance workers, at Lakelovers and will shortly be seeking offices in a more central location in Bowness-on-Windermere.

Commenting on the deal, Mr Liddell said: "It was a natural progression for us to start our own business, and taking over an existing business made sense.

We don't want to be the biggest agency, we want to be the best, and we are looking for quality cottages rather than quantity."

Lakelovers currently has around 100 holiday homes on its books, ranging from one bedroom apartments to traditional Lakeland farmhouses.

Demand is growing for self-catering holidays in the Lake District, in contrast to the difficulties facing some hotels and guesthouses, according to Mr Liddell.

"Last year there was a large increase on lettings of 20 per cent from the previous year for Lakelovers.

Most holidaymakers like the freedom of self-catering when coming to the Lake District," he said.

Self-catering tourists are also helping to extend the season in Lakeland, with many choosing to visit when the area is less busy, he added.

The new owners plan to launch a new Lakelovers brochure, featuring all its holiday homes, in mid-February.