A local councillor who said the attraction of the Bronts was 'wearing thin' has drawn heavy criticism.

Eric Dawson, who represents Steeton and Silsden on Bradford council, has come under fire after he claimed the draw of Haworth's famous literary family was waning.

Cllr Dawson made the remarks at last week's Keighley planning sub-committee meeting after plans for a new shopping centre on Rawdon Road, Haworth, were approved.

Cllr Dawson said: "Haworth needs this shopping centre because after people have seen all of the attractions in the village they still have half a day left. I think that the attraction of the Bronts is inevitably starting to wear thin."

Cllr Dawson claimed that literary classics like Emily Bront's 'Wuthering Heights' - set on Haworth Moor - and her sister Charlotte's 'Jane Eyre' were losing their appeal. He said Haworth should look to other tourist attractions such as the new shopping centre.

The statement did cause consternation among other committee members at the time.

Cllr Jack Womersley said: "This is an important development for Haworth. However, the Bronts continue to provide an important attraction for the village."

But tourism officials were angered by Cllr Dawson's comments.

Mike Hill, director of Haworth's Parsonage Museum where the family lived, says: "I think the Bronts will be remembered long after Cllr Dawson has been forgotten. We have people from all around the world coming to Haworth because of the Bronts, so I really think he could do with some up-to-date information."

Mr Hill points out that he has recently talked to a professor from Beijing, the capital of China, who told him Wuthering Heights has now been translated into Mandarin Chinese.

Carolyn Spencer, of Bront Country Tourism which promotes the area, says the appeal of the Bronts is in fact increasing. "The reason people come to Haworth is because of the Bronts and the amount of people wanting information about them is still growing," she says. "The Bront name continues to attract people from all over the world."

Ms Spencer says the main priority now is to get tourists to stay in the area for longer.

Although Haworth is a popular tourist destination, the majority of visitors are still daytrippers.

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