One of the biggest tourist attractions in Sussex is thanking its staff for pulling together to see it through one of the most difficult times in its history.

Drusillas Park, near Alfriston, attracts thousands of visitors to the area but earlier this year was faced with a decision whether to close during the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Zoo owner Laurence Smith said: "The main concentrations of the disease were in the West Country and in the North. Sussex was disease-free so we didn't have to close.

"We kept a close eye on the situation but, before long, the disease was spreading fast and we believed there was a danger to our animals.

"We called a meeting of the management team where it was decided we had no option but to close. We had to do our part in helping to eradicate the disease.

"With 50 permanent staff and up to 100 temporary and seasonal staff, this was a decision that was going to have an effect on a lot of people. With the zoo closed and no income we had to find a way of making the money go further."

Before taking over the zoo park, Mr Smith ran a successful national recruitment firm where he learned to stay on top of things.

He said: "I also made sure that internal communications were efficient. I didn't want the staff at Drusillas to worry about rumours. They had to be told the truth and told it as soon as possible.

"The truth was, with no income, we needed to cut costs. One way was to cut the working week to three days. First, I asked the management team to consider taking a drop in salary to help keep the business going.

"Their response was overwhelming. They all agreed to the three-day week. Not only that, most of them continued to work a full week.

"With no visitors to the park, they had time to catch up on all the jobs that had been put off until there was time to do them. Such commitment from your management team makes the whole situation so much easier to handle."

The next step was to hold a meeting with the workforce to explain what was happening. The same request was made and very quickly the staff promised their backing. Even personal issues like a new baby and a new mortgage took a back seat while the crisis continued.

Mr Smith said: "The attitude of the entire staff was completely supportive. Without such commitment we couldn't have done it.

"Although the foot-and-mouth outbreak never reached Sussex, I'm sure we made the right decision to close and, if faced with the same situation I would make the same decision.

"The risks may have been small, but they were not worth taking."

Drusillas is open again to visitors, the only exception being the farmyard petting area.