BUSINESSES hit by the foot and mouth crisis have urged visitors to return to the countryside -- before their livelihoods suffer lasting damage.

Rural shops, pubs, holiday cottages and other attractions are all losing custom and jobs are on the line as members of the public steer clear of the East Lancashire countryside because of the epidemic.

Now company bosses and tourism chiefs have urged visitors to come back to the countryside and declared that they are open for business even if many of the footpaths are shut.

Karen Weaving, who together with husband Malcolm runs the Stirk House Hotel in Gisburn, said the crisis had hit their business particularly hard.

"It has had an horrendous effect on us. So far we have lost around £30,000 in cancellations and are busy looking to set up other events in order to try and hang on to our staff," explained Mrs Weaving who has been at the hotel for five years.

Owner of the Lower Greenhill Caravan Site in Salterforth, Joyce Jackson, said: "We are booked up for the Easter holidays but if it the foot and mouth crisis continues they will probably cancel. For us it's just a case of going from week to week."

Estalita Woodhouse, owner of the Bankfield Guest House, in Foulridge, said: "It is very quiet."

Mary Parker of Clitheroe Tourist Information Centre has been working closely with Ribble Valley tourism officer Jane Silvester to compile a list of available centres and attractions that people can still visit safely.

"A lot of the tourist attractions have noticed a reduction in visitors, in particular Ribchester's Roman Museum which has seen a 50 per cent drop so far," said Mrs Parker.

Norman Bargh of Osbaldeston Hall Farm, near Blackburn, said his family's riding centre business which is run in conjunction to his dairy and sheep farm is usually busy organising competitions at all levels. But since February 25 it closed its gates with the loss of voluntary and part-time workers.

"All we have open is the livery side of the business and have managed to carry on employing our two part-time employees. There is nothing we can do about it, just wait until the crisis is over," he said.

Martin McShane of Red Rose Cottages, a branch company of Atherton's Estate Agents in King Street, Clitheroe, said: "We have had a couple of cancellations and holidays postponed but the area we have seen the biggest drop is inquiries, by around two-thirds compared to this time last year."