Adios Barcelona! Adieu Saint-Tropez! Southend is the place to be to soak up winter sun as you beat the Covid blues.

Southend has been named fourth across the UK for towns and cities with the warmest winters.

After a torrid year of Covid-19 setbacks, bosses hope this could be the key to unlock a trade boost as England moves out of lockdown this week.

Claire Bracken, manager at the Seven Hotel, said if the sun is shining in Southend, visitors could be in “Barcelona or the south of France.”

She said: “It’s manic when the sun is out. You could be anywhere, sipping on a few cocktails on a terrace.

“We’ve already got a lot of bookings after Christmas and onto March. We’re really positive.”

Jacqui Dallimore, managing director at the Roslin hotel, said staycations are huge for Southend, especially in the winter. She said: “Where people have been in lockdown, they want to be away for the weekend.

“People in London want to be down by the seaside, especially when the sun’s out.

“It’s the feelgood factor of being down by the sea. We have seven miles of beaches to enjoy and walk along. You can’t forget about the parks either.

“Staycations are crucial for Southend.”

Research from Heating Force balanced out the average temperature, hours of sunshine, days of air frost, volume of rainfall, days of rainfall and the average wind speed of UK towns and cities during the prime winter months.

The index put Southend fourth, behind Slough, Sunderland and Poole.

Emma Bearman, owner of the Moorings bed and breakfast on Eastern Esplanade, told the Echo how a busy seafront on Saturday proved visitors are still willing to come to Southend.

Her B&B has remained open for workers during this lockdown, but closed at weekends. Mrs Bearman said: “We have to remain positive and get along with it. Saturday shows that when the sun is out, people will flock to the seafront.

“People have been trying to book with us at the weekends, but we’ve turned them down. That also proves people still want to visit Southend. That’s a positive for the future.