Seaside resorts in Sussex were swamped with visitors over the Easter weekend.

Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne and other coastal resorts throughout the country reported an increase in visitors on last year at the expense of traditional Easter favourites such as the Lake District and the South-West.

The English Tourism Council said coastal paths and surrounding areas did well compared with many rural locations, where visitor numbers were "well down" because of the foot and mouth crisis.

Visitors arriving in West Sussex from Gatwick were welcomed with yellow council signs warning visitors that all public footpaths remained closed but visitors could be assured towns and cities such as Brighton would have entertainment on offer.

Some people shunned the countryside in favour of shopping.

Tony Mernagh, chairman of the Brighton Town Centre Business Forum, said city businesses had benefited from the current foot and mouth crisis.

He said trade on Good Friday was "mega" and added: "Shops and businesses in Brighton were very busy and early indications are that it was better than last year.

"I'm pleased the city has done well but I don't like to think it's at the expense of the rural areas."

Hoteliers in Eastbourne and other seaside resorts in the country such as Blackpool and Torquay said numbers were up on last year with high demands for accommodation.

Peter Attwood, manager of the Sea Lane cafe, Worthing, said trade was up 30 per cent on last year.

He said: "It's very unusual to be this busy at Easter. Actually, the last two to three weeks have been really busy. There is a huge amount of people walking on the front at the moment because of foot-and-mouth."

Arundel Castle had almost 3,000 visitors over the weekend, 300 up on the same time last year.

Matthew Williamson, chairman of Eastbourne Hotels' Association, said: "We have been fully booked throughout the Bank Holiday with people enjoying the fine weather.

"Everybody has had a great time. But saying that we have a great deal of sympathy for our colleagues in more rural areas who haven't been able to share this good fortune."

Drusillas zoo park near Alfriston reported record-breaking numbers of visitors despite its farmyard being closed.

Bosses breathed a sigh of relief after losing almost £120,000 when it closed for three weeks at the end of February.

Events co-ordinator Ian Blight said: "It was nice to know that people still look upon Drusillas as being a popular place to visit and we expect visitor numbers to keep on increasing from here."