THE NUMBER of Reading residents commuting to London has spiked by more than 200%, the latest statistics have revealed. 

Data researchers Huq Industries revealed the data last month, showing that Reading is second place nation-wide in terms of the biggest jump of residemts commuting to the captial - a 218% increase since lockdown restrictiosn were eased in March.

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This was scond place to Horsham, West Sussex, whose jump has reached a 234% increase, and in third position was Maidstone, Kent, with a 91% boost.

The data also revealed that Berkshire is second place for the biggest overall rise in number of commuters, with 26% of the county travelling to London.

Reading Chronicle:

Conrad Poulson, chief executive officer at Huq Industries, comments: “Although many people are continuing to work from home, the siren call of the post-lockdown return to the office has been heard by employers and employees alike.

"Many are keen to get back to some level of normality, which includes commuting to work – even those companies that are moving towards ‘hybrid working’ models with some staff at home and some at the office.

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“The Home Counties commuter belt is seeing some significant rises in outbound traffic, although it’s still not back to pre-pandemic levels.

"But as more employers re-open their offices, we could well see the rush hour on road and rail start to re-emerge.”