DARTMOOR National Park Authority has chosen to exercise caution and postpone the full re-opening of Dartmoor for two weeks.

The original target date for re-opening was July 1 but at a special meeting of the authority on Tuesday the decision was made to put it back to July 14.

A positive blood test revealing antibodies in sheep at Northlew this week and an outbreak of foot and mouth in cattle on the Brecon Beacons after access was restored is believed to have influenced the decision — but it has caused anger among some tourism businesses.

Sixty per cent of the moor was opened on June 9 but the northern part, close to the epicentre of foot and mouth disease in Devon, has remained closed since March.

Speaking at the meeting, DNP chief executive Nick Atkinson said the target date of July 1 had been subject to two conditions — that there were no new outbreaks within the moor and that all blood testing was completed and proved negative.

'The fact is there has been a further case at North Tawton which infringes in the 10 km zone of the national park and although virtually all the blood testing has been done and come back negative there is still a final batch of tests to do,' he said.

DNP member John Hockridge said he was well aware what a devastating effect foot and mouth had had on the tourism industry but what everybody wanted was the disease cleared up.

'I feel at this stage we should act with caution,' he said. 'There are still an awful lot of very nervous people out there on the northern part of the moor — the problem is we do not know how it spreads. There is so much conflicting evidence when you speak to the experts.'

But Nick Waterhouse said there would be small flare-ups of the disease every now and again and there would be no greater or less risk in 14 days' times as there was now.

'The real risk of walkers spreading the disease is very, very low indeed,' he said. 'The idea that in some way we are being cautious by delaying it for two weeks has no rational base at all.'

Mr Waterhouse said blood tests were mapping the history of the disease and positive antibodies found in sheep did not suggest a new outbreak. It purely meant they had been subjected to the disease at some stage.

Following the meeting, the owner of the Two Bridges Hotel, Philip Davies, said he could not see any logic in the decision.

He said Government guidelines had clearly stated that it was safe to re-open the moor and the authority had in effect ignored that.

'I am absolutely bemused — this year is going to be a write-off,' he said. 'The mixed message that people are getting about Dartmoor is very dangerous.'

He said the next three months were crucial to his business and the authority had taken away two weeks of that. 'People have booked accommodation on the assumption that the moor will be open this weekend. With the dates being pushed back they are just going to get fed up and go somewhere else for their holidays.'

Cherry Seage, secretary of Dartmoor Commoners' Association, said it had been 'a very difficult decision' for the park to make. They were torn between the agriculture and tourist industries, both of which they had responsibilities for.

Farms stretching from Lydford to Meldon were still under category A notices, said Mrs Seage, and cleansing operations had not been completed, so there could be no public access across their land anyway.

'Unfortunately, the continued closure means the southern end of the moor will have the majority of people using it.

'Horses are being boxed and taken there to ride and the public are coming from up-country to walk on it because they can't use the countryside where they live. But at least that is good for the tourist industry,' she added.

Fred Penwill, joint owner of Cholwell Riding Stables at Mary Tavy for 29 years, said the news was a 'big disappointment'.

'We had a lot of bookings from schools for the coming weeks, which will all be lost. We were all geared up and ready to go, but now everything is uncertain. Even if it opens in two weeks' time there will only be one week of the term left,' he said.

'We will never be able to make up what we have lost since February 25; it is a dead loss.

'I don't blame the National Park Authority for keeping it closed on safety grounds. But the summer season will soon be over and I just wish there was some compensation,' Mr Penwill added.

Julie Searle, who owns Lydford House Hotel and riding stables, said she was 'devastated' at the postponement.

'It is a very black day. We had the horses shod in preparation for July 1 at £42 per set — all for nothing — and have spent £16,000 on their upkeep since the crisis started. We are in the hardest hit area, and I can't see this part of the moor opening until the autumn now,' she said.

Mrs Searle also felt there should be compensation. 'Our visitors stay with us because of the riding facilities. Until two weeks ago we didn't have any bookings, now the few we have had since will be lost.

'We have lost the whole season and I don't see how we are going to survive,' she said.

Nick Hamer, of the Elephant's Nest Inn at Horndon, said they were not impressed with the decision: 'If the southern part of the moor was opened with just the positive area around Dunnabridge kept closed, why can't they do the same for the northern part and open it all except for the suspect area?' he asked.

Mr Hamer added that business was a lot quieter since the southern part of the moor had opened, as walkers were obviously going there. 'It is another nail in the coffin for local businesses,' he said.