This week the government has been bombarding the public with an advertising campaign aimed at rescuing rural tourism from the effects of the foot and mouth epidemic.
It claims that 80% of Britain's attractions are open and ready to receive visitors. The multimillion pound campaign in newspapers and on radio promises "detailed information" on which attractions are available for visitors to enjoy, giving opening times and details of any restrictions.
A test of the service yesterday showed that it is un able to offer anything other than telephone numbers or website addresses of tourist bodies or the attractions themselves.
The tourist boards were unable to answer any of the Guardian's 10 questions on opening times or locations of popular attractions. The website has a list of 29 top attractions with details of restrictions due to the epidemic: only 11 are rural, while 14 are in London.
A spokesman for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions said the helpline and website were only a starting point and not meant to answer detailed inquiries.
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