POTTERY group Portmeirion saw profits more than halve after being hit by the double blow of foot-and-mouth and September 11.
The farm epidemic hit sales in the first half of last year, as overseas tourists decided against trips to the UK.
But the Stoke-on-Trent group was rocked further by the events of September 11 and sales in the US, which normally account for nearly half of all group revenues, slid 12 per cent in 2001.
It meant group turnover for the year to December 31 slipped from £30.7m to £29.6m while pre-tax profits plunged 52 per cent to £1.6m.
But despite the tough trading conditions last year, Portmeirion remained upbeat
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