Businesses call for less burning New Forest photos as they see drop in sales
It comes after a major wildfire which saw the A31 road closed for around two weeks
Businesses are calling for less photos of the New Forest on fire to be shared online - as they experience a sharp drop in sales from less people visiting the area.
It's after a recent wildfire saw around 230 football fields worth of heathland destroyed, crews on site for around two weeks, as well as multiple road closures.
The fire has caused businesses in the area to see around a 50% reduction in sales.
Nic Carass' CEO of Go New Forest, said: "It's really important that we change people's perception that might be that the whole forest is on fire when that hasn't been the case.
"A coordinated campaign with all our partner groups, Forestry England, New Forest National Park, and making sure that people are seeing photos of the New Forest not burning is really, really vital."
She's telling us how the wildfire has impacted businesses.
Ms Carass said: "It's been a real mixed picture from across the forest.
"What's really clear is that some businesses have had a huge decrease in visitor numbers and takings, so Furzey Gardens being one.
"Some farm shops are reporting, in some cases, that they're down 50% on visitor numbers.
"We've had some hotels describe the impact of the fire as crippling, whilst we've had some, say in Lymington, actually find they're busier than usual.
"We think this is a case of Lymington residents staying put and not wanting to necessarily face the congestion of the roads.
"So it's been a real mixed picture, but what is clear is that the fire is a big situation to have happened.
"It's impacted a small amount of the forest, but the economic impact of the fire is far wider than the geography of the fire itself."
The A31 road is now reopen.