Figures have revealed that the economy shrank 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 and 8.7 since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But the economy showed signs of recovery in March with a 2.1 per cent rise from retail spending as high streets began to reopen.
Rishi Sunak has said the climb is a "promising sign" of things to come.
Jo Lappin, chief executive of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership said: “The March GDP figures for the UK are clearly good news and a sign the national economy is recovering as it is able to open up.
“However, there is still a long way to go before we recover to pre-Covid levels with March GDP still 6 per cent down on February 2020 before the pandemic.