Councils are defying the Prime Minister’s pleas to open up the countryside to lure back tourists, a survey by The Independent on Sunday has found. Councils are defying the Prime Minister’s pleas to open up the countryside to lure back tourists, a survey by The Independent on Sunday has found.Even in areas far from the nearest outbreak, local authorities are keeping footpaths and rural cycleways closed.Last week the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food ­ which inspired the closures ­ published new guidelines advising local authorities to consider relaxing footpath and bridleway restrictions. Maff’s advisers admit there is no evidence that walkers can pass on the disease.Tourism and rural business is now losing £250m a week ­ far outweighing the £570m a year in meat exports which is justifying the restrictions ­ and experts predict widespread ruin if people do not start returning to the countryside by the Easter weekend, a fortnight away.Last week Mr Blair blamed “television abroad” for presenting the situation “as if the whole country was out of bounds”. Michael Meacher, the chairman of the Government’s rural task force, estimated a week ago that 70 per cent of the country could be reopened, saying “blanket restrictions cannot be justified”.Some councils have responded, if only in a limited way.

Pembrokeshire is reopening 12 footpaths, and several councils are meeting soon to consider lifting some restrictions.The Wildlife Trusts, the Woodland Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds are only now beginning to reopen some of their land.South East In East Sussex, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Hertfordshire, county councils meet soon to consider reopening some footpaths. Kent and Surrey have blanket bans on paths which cross farmland, woodland or common land. Large areas of woodland stay shut, but all beaches south of the New Forest are open.All Isle of Wight forests are open In West Sussex. 2,000 miles of rights of way are closed, but some National Trust properties will reopen this week Arundel Castle opens tomorrow. All on-road cycle routes are open, but large number of off-road routes, especially in Essex and Kent, remain closed.South WestIn Dorset, Avon Heath Country Park and Durlston Country Park have reopened, but will be subject to strict controls. Dorset Woodlands, Wareham Forest and Moors Valley Country Park have also reopened, but cliffs around Swanage and Portland are closed.

The area around Durdle Door and Lulworth Castle and Park is likely to remain closed until after Easter Brownsea Island reopened yesterday. The Northbourne section of the Stour Valley footpath has reopened.In Somerset and Devon, all footpaths are closed In Cornwall, all rural footpaths remain shut. In Wiltshire, the area around Stonehenge is shut, and the county council is now considering shutting a number of urban footpaths. The River Severn and River Avon have reopened to restricted boating.WalesPembrokeshire County Council is lifting access restrictions on some public rights of way Initially 12 footpaths are being reopened. In Snowdonia, all rights of way remain closed but most beaches are open. Between 30 and 40 per cent of Welsh cycle routes remain closed The Llangollen Canal opened for limited boating yesterday.

Tomorrow, parts of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal will reopen.East AngliaIn Norfolk, the Broads are now open for navigation, but mooring near grazing land is forbidden, and all footpaths and bridleways are closed Minsmere nature reserve is shut. In Bedfordshire, all council-controlled country parks are shut. Footpaths will remain closed.Woburn Safari Park and Whipsnade Zoo are shut. Of the 4,000 footpaths in Cambridgeshire, 400 are closed, but more temporary closures are expected due to the movement of livestock. In Suffolk, most footpaths will remain closed.East MidlandsDerbyshire County Council is collaborating with the Peak Park Trust and Chatsworth House Trust to reopen a number of paths.

Some countryside sites will partially reopen on April 7, assuming no new local outbreaks. Farmland, woodland and common land remains closed in the Peak District.In Northamptonshire, all rural footpaths and country parks are shut, but the council is considering reopening some In Leicestershire, paths in infected areas are closed In Nottinghamshire, all rural footpaths remain closed. The Grand Union Canal is reopening progressively in sections.West Midlands/Welsh BordersIn Herefordshire, the Nature Trust’s 48 reserves are still closed The Malvern Hills and Forest of Dean will remain shut. In Gloucestershire, the county council is discussing a number of reopenings.In Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Oxfordshire, all footpaths and bridleways across or adjoining agricultural land, common land and woodland are closed. However, some waterways have now reopened.North-EastIn Northumberland, all National Park information centres, car parks and sites are closed Around 40% of cycle routes in the region have been shut. In County Durham, there are no plans to reopen any footpaths until the outbreak has peaked.In North Yorkshire, Wykeham Forest and Bishop Wood are still open All public rights of way in the Yorkshire Dales are closed. A meeting on Monday will decide which footpaths are to reopen.North WestIn Cheshire, 6,500 rural and 200 urban footpaths are closed.