BUSINESSES already hit by last year's foot-and-mouth crisis are facing fresh anguish caused by the weather.

Heavy rain has partially washed away a vital tourist link road on the North York Moors, Chimney Bank and Rosedale Abbey.

Traders in the village and along the road say business has plummeted and are now anxious to let people know they are still open.

The road is a vital link on the moors between the villages of Rosedale and Hutton-le-Hole, and when it first happened the road was closed.

Penny Biglin, of the White Horse Farm Hotel, said: "When they did that, our trade just disappeared. We suffered last summer because people stayed away during the foot-and-mouth crisis. This summer we wanted to recover what we had lost.

"It is frustrating because the council should have maintained the road properly. If they had done, perhaps this would not have happened."

She and other traders wrote to North Yorkshire County Council to complain about the closure and it was reopened as a one-way route from Hutton-le-Hole to Rosedale.

However, traders say they are still suffering. "Our trade is still being hit because we rely a great deal on people coming up the bank from Rosedale," said Mrs Biglin.

A council spokesman said they were considering their options for the road and had written to local residents for their views.