"When they turn on the television or read the newspapers it is full of the general election, it is full of people selling themselves. Nobody appears to be listening and nobody appears to be caring for them.''Settle landowner John Henderson said the scale of what was happening and what was likely to happen was simply not being appreciated "When our hot-spot started nobody seemed to want to know. It may be politically inconvenient but I think nature probably is.''The cruel irony for tourist businesses is that the disease struck on the very day officials from the local council were discussing reopening public footpaths notably to two wonders of the Dales: Malham Cove and Gordale Scar. It would have been a boon to Julie Boocock of the Buck Inn, at Malham, whose business has dwindle in the past few days. Normally income from the upmarket hotel runs to £600 on a good night.
"Don't add up what that comes to over 12 weeks or you'll make me ill,'' said Ms Boocock, who is also chairman of Malham Parish Council.Most of those who have lost business accept that defeating the virus has to be the priority. None-the-less, Ms Boocock was keen to emphasise that there are still walks to be enjoyed on lanes around the village.Tim Yeo, the Tory agriculture spokesman, accused the Government yesterday of stepping up the slaughter of animals in the Settle area for no other reason than to prevent the disease derailing the election campaign. For each reported case, 10 times as many animals were being slaughtered as would have been the case at the beginning of April, Mr Yeo told farmers at a pub in Pandy, south Wales. "Tony Blair does not care how much damage he does to farming as long as he gets his majority back on 7 June.''Susan Read, of Hartlington, near Skipton, had been due to marry on Saturday but has called off the wedding. "The reception was going to take place in a village right in the heart of the outbreak and we thought it was too big a risk,'' she said.Many of the guests would have come from farms and her fianc?Jeremy Mr Stockdale runs a farm in Thirsk, a part of North Yorkshire, away from the hot spot.
But with the virus already jumping between herds and flocks several miles apart, no one in farming feels able to relax.. Camelot, the National Lottery operator, yesterday blamed its worst financial results for four years on its prolonged licence battle with Sir Richard Branson. Camelot, the National Lottery operator, yesterday blamed its worst financial results for four years on its prolonged licence battle with Sir Richard Branson. Lottery ticket sales in the 12 months to 31 March fell by 2.1 per cent, and revenues dipped below £5bn for the first time since 1997. Camelot said the disappointing results were largely a result of the costs of fighting off a rival bid for the seven-year licence from Sir Richard's People's Lottery.The bid for the new lottery licence involved a protracted court battle.
