Interest in online adverts for caravans increased by nearly a fifth last week as more people plan staycations once coronavirus restrictions ease, figures indicate.

Auto Trader said the number of people viewing caravans on its website was 18% higher than the same period in 2019.

It expects demand for caravan holidays to “almost match” hotel breaks this summer.

The firm commissioned a survey of 2,000 UK adults which indicated that 40% are planning a domestic holiday.

A third (33%) of this group are considering a trip in a caravan.

We’ll be seeing UK beaches and other hotspots abuzz with British holidaymakers this summer

Some 37% said staying in a caravan would mean they could sanitise the environment themselves, and 34% believe it would allow them to better manage social distancing.

Rory Reid of Auto Trader said: “Coronavirus has changed the way we live our lives in so many ways, and there’s no doubt this will extend to our holidays.

“Many are unlikely to want or be able to quarantine themselves for 14 days after a holiday abroad, so we’ll be seeing UK beaches and other hotspots abuzz with British holidaymakers this summer.

“Caravan holidays in particular will shoot through the roof. The idea of holidaying in a space that you yourself own, which you can clean yourself and which won’t have been used by others recently, is definitely reassuring.”

Deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said at a recent Downing Street press briefing that it is a “biological truism” that being outdoors is safer than being in an enclosed space with people potentially carrying coronavirus.

He promised to give “careful thought” to what steps would be needed to allow caravan parks and campsites to reopen.

A 14-day quarantine period for people arriving in the UK will be enforced from June 8.

This is expected to put many people off foreign holidays, even if the Foreign and Commonwealth Office stops advising against non-essential overseas travel.