Aldenham Country Park is losing thousands of pounds a week as it remains closed while foot and mouth disease spreads across Britain.

If the Elstree park stays closed over Easter - usually one of its busiest times - its lost income could total £60,000 by the end of April.

Park staff are also concerned that if a case of foot and mouth arises nearby, its rare breeds of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats could be culled under current MAFF policy.

The 175-acre park, which also has a reservoir, woods, nature walks and play areas, was closed on February 22, at the start of the outbreak, to protect its rare breeds. Manager Martin Hartup this week estimated the park had already lost around £30,000 in income from sources like car parking, kiosk sales and anglers. There is no entrance fee.

He anticipated the park, which is owned and managed by Hertfordshire County Council and run as a self-financing business, could lose a further £30,000 in income if its gates stay closed for another month.

Mr Hartup said: "We do not know what the long-term future will be, but there is no question of the county not supporting us - we are not going down the Swannee."

A spokesman said the county council wanted to re-open the park, one of Hertfordshire's top visitor attractions, as soon as it was safe to do so.

He added: "The county council is concerned about the financial impact on the park, and we will be looking for ways to support it during the crisis.

"In the short term, we expect to accommodate the shortfall in income, but it is not possible at this stage to predict what financial arrangements may be brought to bear on the problem, should it continue indefinitely."

Mr Hartup is also concerned that rare breeds can currently be culled, in the same way as other livestock, if they are disease-free, but fall into an infection zone.

He said: "It is a worry that you can get caught up by someone else having the disease."

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust, of which the park is an accredited centre, is discussing with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) whether, in certain circumstances, rare breeds could be exempt from blanket culls.

Borehamwood mother Sharon Munday, of Warenford Way, said her four-year-old daughters, Coren and Leone, would miss the park if it remained shut over Easter.

She added: "We went there quite a bit, and the girls get a bit upset they can not go and feed the ducks, and they liked to see the pigs and sheep."

Hertsmere Borough Council's leisure director Phil Collins advised residents that, although country areas might be closed over Easter, they could still visit the more urban parks, like Shenley Park, and the council's leisure centres.

* People walking or riding in the countryside face fines of up to £5,000, and seven people face possible prosecution after their names were passed to the county council for allegedly breaking the ban.