13 April 2001
According to a survey produced by the Ramblers' Association (RA), Britons holidaying at home over Easter will enjoy only limited access to the great outdoors.
The survey, published on April 9, states that seven out of ten councils will keep blanket restrictions on walkers' routes in place during the Easter weekend, traditionally the start of the British holiday season.
The RA calls for local authorities to act immediately on the latest Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food guidance which the association hopes 'should ensure many footpaths are open again by Easter'.
Tony Blair has said of foot and mouth's impact on the tourist industry: 'It is tragic that tourism in areas totally unaffected by foot and mouth disease has been as badly hit as areas infected by disease. All of us have to get over the message, at home and abroad, that Britain remains open for business.'
This is at odds with the stance being taken by rural local authorities. Foot and mouth-free authorities in particular are willing to risk alienating the tourist trade in order to keep the disease outside their boundaries.
Richard Burton, communications officer with Buckinghamshire County Council, told Public Finance: 'We have opened up some tourist sites but the countryside is still out of bounds at the moment. Our main aim is to protect the majority interest of the county and we have incurred criticism because of this.'
He added: 'It's a very hard balance to get right. Tourist attendance has dramatically declined and it is an important part of the infrastructure of Buckinghamshire but we feel there would be a worse situation if the disease found its way into the county.'
Lincolnshire County Council has also decided to keep footpaths and rights of way closed.
Public relations manager Steve Jackson said: 'The county council has taken the decision based on what is best for the county. It's a balancing act but we are foot and mouth free and we have decided to err on the side of caution.'
Rural tourism is said to be losing £100m a week because of foot and mouth. The government has responded by launching a £120m loan scheme for small business on April 6.
PFapr2001
