VISITORS are flooding back to Cheshire's Tatton Park following a disastrous year which left it with a deficit of £200,000.

The foot-and-mouth crisis, last year's fuel strike and bad weather had the popular tourist attraction struggling to make ends meet.

Its financial problems were deepened when footand-mouth precautions forced it to close for two months over Easter, one of its busiest periods, resulting in £136,000 of lost income.

But in an amazing turnaround, visitors are now flocking to the country estate in their thousands and the attraction is taking £8,000 a week more than this time last year.

Visitor numbers are up by 16pc on last year, which means an extra 2,600 people pouring through the gates.

Its dramatic reversal of fortunes is thought to be a result of the good weather, school holidays and the widespread lifting of foot-and-mouth restrictions.

The park is currently operating against a £149,000 deficit, which managers say is a direct result of the park's enforced closure at the beginning of this financial year.

But if the tourist boost continues managers are confident its financial problems can be ironed out.

Coun Nora Stopford, chairman of Cheshire County Council community development committee, said: "Tatton Park has been through a terrible time but now it is going from strength to strength.

"It suffered dreadfully as a result of foot-andmouth, the fuel crisis and a very wet summer last year. All this left it with a huge deficit, like many tourist attractions across the country.

"But since it reopened we have been fighting back very hard and visitor numbers have been going up, which is absolutely delightful."

Special events held at Tatton Park in recent weeks have also proved overwhelming successes.

Last month the Royal Horticultural Society Show drew a record attendance of 107,000 visitors over the five days.

And last weekend's 10th anniversary Halle Orchestra concert was a sell-out, attracting 10,000 people.

Since it reopened in April, the park has unveiled its refurbished Japanese Gardens which have attracted visitors from all over the country and abroad.

And a multi-million pound project to restore two and a half acres of walled gardens to their original glory will help to boost the park's profile when it is completed later this year.

Several large-scale events are planned for the next few months, including a visit by former US president Bill Clinton at a charity gala in December.

Formerly the home of the Egerton family, Tatton Park was bequeathed to the National Trust by the fourth and last Lord Egerton in 1958.

The 2,000-acre site is one of England's most complete historic country estates and is one of the North's major tourist attractions, drawing more than 175,000 visitors each year.

The only part of the estate which remains closed due to foot-and-mouth is Home Farm, which will not reopen while the threat of the virus continues.

Disease precautions to guard livestock and deer, whose lineage dates back 800 years, were among the best of their kind in Britain, the council said.