Earlier this year, well before the virus outbreak, we booked a cottage through Sykes Cottage in the Lake District. We paid a deposit of £30.00 and were all set for the six of us to start our holiday on 5th June 2020. However, the virus came and we were hit with one thing after another. I am a nurse in the NHS and as a result of the pandemic I am engaged in front line nursing and as such unable to book any leave for the foreseeable future due to the extra ordinary circumstances that we presently see. The second member of our party, my daughter, also employed in the NHS, faces the same restrictions with the added issue of having to self quarantine for three months due to underlying heath issues. The third member of our party, my husband is employed by the police service and is now under the same sort of restrictions in relation to leave as is the fourth member of our party, my son, who is a key worker in the telecommunications industry. The fifth member of our party, my sons girlfriend is also employed by the NHS at the local children's hospital and as the virus situation intensifies over the coming months will be transferring to a crucial role in dealing with the pandemic. She also faces the same leave restrictions. The final member of our party is my eldest son who resides in the Austrian Alps. The district in which he resides is in total lock-down added to which he has been laid of work and as a result is now financially reliant on us his parents and he has been told that there is no hope of any travel by air from Austria in the foreseeable future. As a result we had no option but to cancel our holiday and outlined all of the above circumstances to Sykes. Their response....an automated email stating they had taken the remainder of our deposit of £280.00. When you read through all of their small print, sure enough, hidden away was a clause that if you cancel you still have to pay the rest of the deposit. I'm sure we are not the only ones caught out by this but these are extraordinary times and it is quite clear that whilst the country suffers, this company is going to make a mint. So if you have booked with them and have had to cancel through no fault of your own be prepared to still have to pay.