A31 closure 'painful' for local businesses

As a major fire in the New Forest continues to burn, some businesses in the local area have told the BBC the impact of the ensuing road closure has been "painful".

The blaze began in a van on the A31 on Sunday before spreading to nearby heathland, and now covers an area the size of about 230 football pitches.

Due to the fire, the route between Southampton and Bournemouth has remained closed and is not expected to reopen until 20 August at the earliest.

But local businesses in the forest have stressed that much of the national park remains accessible and open, and have urged visitors not to stay away at the height of holiday season.

Jonathan Stainton-Burrell, who owns Hockey's Farm Shop in South Gorley, said the impact of the blaze had been "painful".

"We will survive this, but the longer it goes on, the more difficult it is," he said.

"We support roughly 65 other local suppliers in the area, so there will be a knock-on effect on those people who supply us with produce."

His wife Laura added: "The fire brigade are doing exactly what they can do and doing it really well, but it's going to have a complete knock-on effect for the rest of the year."

Nic Caras, chief executive of the tourism board Go New Forest, said one in five people in the area work in jobs related to tourism.

"We urge people at this time in the summer holidays to continue coming and making plans," she said.

On the High Street in Lyndhurst - which sits almost directly in the middle of the forest - the drop in business was noticeable to tourists.

David Millward, who have a holiday home in Bashley, said part of the reason for the drop was the closure of the A31, and the ensuing traffic elsewhere which was "100% worse".

"You can tell by the people, when we first came last Sunday, you couldn't get through this road, there were so many people."

"But this week has been like the opposite - you can't get anywhere."

Zeki Sen, owner of the Forage in Lyndhurst, said the situation "is what it is, so we are not complaining".

"Of course it affects the business, but end of the day, so we will get over that," he said.

"I want to thank all the firefighters who have done an amazing job, working day and night, non-sleepless days, and we feel sorry at what happened."

One place thanking firefighters is New Forest Finest Fish and Chips, which is offering free meals to those tackling the A31 fire.

"We're just trying to do what we can," owner Dean Cummings said.

"We can't fight the fires, but we can feed the crews."