AN Ilkley hotelier - who has seen his business plummet by 60 per cent - has blamed Bradford Council for a lack of communication.

Tim Edwards, owner of Westwood Lodge, on Westwood Drive, says the ongoing foot and mouth crisis is having a devastating effect on his profits.

And he called for a speedy reopening of Ilkley Moor and footpaths in the area.

Mr Edwards said: "It is having a huge impact because families do not want to come if they cannot go out walking.

"They have got the idea that they are going to see fields full of dead animals. They are all going abroad.

"It is really, really dire for places a bit out of town. During the summer months we are probably down 60 per cent.

"The only business we are getting is if people have got to come for the tennis tournament or the book fair."

Mr Edwards, who has owned the hotel for three years, said conference bookings, a mainstay of his business, were also down.

He said the light at the end of the tunnel for Ilkley's business community could be many months in coming.

He said: "Businesses will not be able to pay their business rates and certainly lay off staff.

"I think it will be 12 months before we know who is going to weather the storm.

"The big established businesses can afford to have their turnover down for a few weeks. It is much more serious for smaller businesses."

Mr Edwards said he felt stonewalled by Bradford Council after repeated attempts to speak to officials about when the moor was to be reopened.

He said: "The council officials say they will get back to you every time and never do."

Mr Edwards said he was also angered that he received only two hours' notice that a meeting had been called to discuss how the outbreak was affecting trade in Ilkley.

He said: "The first contact we had was last week. They called a meeting to discuss the foot and mouth.

"But they only gave us two hours' notice. Two hours when you are halfway across Bradford. You can't just drop everything.

"I have also had no call back from the meeting to say what is happening."

Mr Edwards said there was also little information about compensation.

Fusions Training Limited, an Ilkley-based team and leadership development company, said they, too, had been affected by the crisis - and criticised the slow progress in reopening local rights of way.

John Atkinson, chief executive, of the company, said: "Our business is sound and committed to expansion but we are not sure how long we can stand the financial loss incurred by the restrictions imposed.

"Bradford Council called a meeting at the very last minute to discuss the problem, giving no time at all for anyone to change their schedule and be able to attend."

David Hall, owner of Base Camp, an outdoor pursuits shop, on Skipton Road, who attended the meeting, said he, too,had been hit by the crisis.

"Our business has been very badly affected. The outdoor trade, probably after farming and agriculture, along with hotels, is generally the next to be hit."

Mr hall, whose profits were down 50 per cent, in April, has already laid off one member of staff and others are working longer hours for less pay.

But, he is confident he will emerge from the crisis with his business in tact.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, Bradford Council's environment chief, said: "There is no choice about reopening the moor at the moment. Even DEFRA accept the fact that the 3km zone should remain closed. That is clear.

"And that is the message from the meeting. I did hope that the other people who were there would have contacted Mr Edwards about it. I will see that an officer speaks to him."