After 14 years in existence, the booking agency, self catering.ie has gone out of business, leaving thousands of its customers out of pocket.

The firm, which is based in Rosslare Harbour in Co Wexford, sent an email to its customers last night, advising them to contact the relevant property owners or caretakers directly, so that a solution might be arranged regarding their holidays.

The news has prompted Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley to call on the Government to introduce new legislation, to protect consumers who use these types of online services: