A travel agent was left speechless when a potential client who booked direct then returned to her agency to give her £150 as a thank you.

Penny Bones, the founder of Southern Cross Travel in East Sussex, said she had spent an hour and a half on the enquiry for an eastern European holiday booking last week.

While she was annoyed at first when the client came to the shop to tell her he had booked the trip direct, she quickly cheered up when he handed her the cash.

Bones said: “It was a nice shock but I was a bit surprised as he’s picked our brains extensively [in the past] before then going direct.

“It’s the first time it’s ever happened to me. I’ve had other occasions where we’ve charged people as they have just used us as an information service, but this is the first time someone’s come along and given us any money.”

Meanwhile, daughter Anneka Bones (pictured above), who was recently named one of TTG’s 30 Under 30, celebrated her inclusion by putting the magazine on display in the agency’s window.

“I’m just so happy about it, I wanted everyone to know,” she said.