According to Lucy and Sophie Maidman, who run Store & Secure self storage, the London flight is continuing, with storage businesses in Dorset and Hampshire reporting more people leaving the capital.

Since the pandemic Store & Secure, which has facilities in Poole, Bournemouth and Basingstoke, has observed the trend. This summer it has noticed an increase in the number of those moving to commuter and coastal areas.

With more people able to work from home, and cheaper properties further out of London, it follows that people will make the move for a better work-life balance. Figures from estate agent Hamptons showed that more than 60,000 Londoners bought a home outside of the capital in the first half of last year - the highest number since records began in 2006. It said that an increase in home working and rising costs in London were the main reasons.

And this trend appears to have continued with Store & Secure noticing a surge in recent months as house sales completed. Lucy Maidman said: “We have noticed through the summer an increase in people storing possessions because of house moves. The trend of people relocating from London looks like it is continuing – it’s something that has happened since the lockdowns.”

Lucy said that her company’s facilities in Poole, Bournemouth and Basingstoke are in the areas people are moving to – either commuter towns so they can get to London two or three times a week, or coastal areas. “Some are buying second homes but most are relocating and when we speak to them they usually say that they no longer need to live in London because they can work from home.”

The main reason to move is to improve their work-life balance and to save money.  “We anticipate that this trend will continue as hybrid working becomes more established, London costs continue to rise and strikes often mean people can’t commute anyway.”

Store & Secure was founded in 2010 in Bournemouth by Lucy and Sophie’s father, Brian Maidman, who 30 years earlier had founded Maidman Removals.

Photo: Lucy (left) and Sophie Maidman.