THE region's bed-and-breakfast industry was badly hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis, a new tourist guide has revealed.

The Good Bed and Breakfast Guide shows that hundreds of establishments across the UK became casualties of the outbreak - many of them forced to close due to lack of trade.

Although the number of B&Bs in the North-East and North Yorkshire that have been forced to close as a result of the epidemic is not yet known, tourism bosses have levelled the significant reduction in numbers from last year squarely at foot-and-mouth.

The Which? guide has 270 fewer entries than before the epidemic.

It revealed that B&Bs in rural areas and villages were the hardest hit by last year's outbreak, as the walkers, riders, and cyclists they relied on for trade stayed away.

The news has come as no surprise to the region's tourism industry, which is beginning to rebuild itself in the wake of the epidemic.

Tim Crump, North-East spokesman for the National Trust, said: "In the North-East alone, the National Trust lost £350,000 because of the disease, and we are a large organisation with a lot of support, so we pulled through.

"But for an independent bed and breakfast, a year like last year would have been devastating, and I'm not surprised many were forced to close."

Shauna Harrison, who runs the High Force Hotel, in Teesdale, County Durham, was almost forced to close during the crisis.

She said: "We are in heavy debt after last year, which was horrific, so much so that we were very, very near to closing completely. Easter, and the weather, will be crucial in our recovery.

Read more about foot-and-mouth here.