John Stead, Publican, Green Dragon Inn, Hardraw.

"We're over 50% down, since the start of the problem in March, when they introduced a blanket closure of all footpaths through out the country. With all the footpaths closed, we just don't get anybody round. At this time of year, we're normally doing up to 80 meals a day. We're now down to 20 or 30. I would normally have three full-time staff and three or four part-timers, but now there's just me and my wife and a couple of part-timers. But everyone's effected - if you compensate one set of people, where does the compensation stop? I'm sure with the amount of money it has cost, if the government had paid a drug company they could have had a cure for it by now. Its been devastating really, everyone's suffering, all the businesses that rely on people getting out into the countryside. Farmers are getting compensation, and I'm not saying they don't deserve it, but it would be nice if we could get some help from somewhere. In other words, its bad, still".