THE owners of a Dartmoor hotel closed down by the Ministry of Agriculture have appealed to the Prime Minister to extend compensation to other businesses hit by the foot and mouth crisis.

Adam and Carrie Southwell, proprietors of the Prince Hall Hotel, wrote to Tony Blair after MAFF banned all movements in and out of the hotel last Wednesday.

Police have been posted at the gate to enforce the regulations, which will remain in place until the infection is totally eradicated in the area.

The hotel is in the middle of the Dartmoor farming community hard hit by the latest outbreak, but whereas their neighbours are being compensated for animals that MAFF vets have slaughtered, the Southwells have to bear their own losses.

'I have had to cancel all our bookings up until April 6, with the potential loss of some £14,000 worth of business and I still have to pay my salaried staff their wages,' said Mr Southwell.

He is currently having to negotiate with his bank and suppliers to help get the business through this period.

'As I understand the situation, we are not entitled to any compensation whatsoever. Surely businesses shut down specifically by the ministry should have some form of recompense,' he said.

Mr Southwell has asked Mr Blair to consider some form of one-off compensation due to the uniqueness of the situation.

Mrs Southwell added: 'It's devastating. We are closed until all the farms up here are sorted out, and then it's another 30 days after the fires have stopped so they can disinfect. We are looking at quite a while.'

She said all the animals from the first outbreak at Dunnabridge had just been burned. Moorland Farm was next, she said, followed by the other six surrounding farms.

'It's all very close at hand. We are right in the middle of it all,' said Mrs Southwell.

'We've had to cancel bookings right up to and including Easter, but we're holding out before we start ringing the next group of people. We're being optimistic and we're hoping our sort of guests will come, even if parts of the moor are still closed, because they love Devon.

Staff are also in a precarious position and risk being laid off.

'We are all in the same boat up here — all the other hotels are closed — but we are perhaps in a better position because we have been closed officially by MAFF and may have a better argument for compensation,' she said.

Mrs Southwell said they were hopeful Mr Blair would reply and thought it was about time a Government minister visited the South West to see the effect the disease and Government policy were having.

The Southwells have also petitioned Agriculture Minister Nick Brown, local MP John Burnett, The Prince of Wales and Conservative MPs Sir Richard Body and Ann Widdecombe.