Last updated 13:36, Monday, 16 June 2008

EMPTY: David Gill at his virtually deserted zoo on Saturday

THE boss of a top Furness attraction says he missed out on thousands of pounds worth of revenue over the weekend.

South Lakes Wild Animal Park owner David Gill has threatened to sue the organisers of Dalton Carnival after the main route into the zoo was blocked-off for hours.

No traffic was allowed to pass down roads affected by the carnival between midday and 4pm.

Mr Gill says he was not told the road closures for Saturday’s carnival would be in place for so long and believes it may have lost him up to £10,000.

He said: “I am taking legal action. I am going to sue the carnival committee for the money we’ve lost.

“It is the worst thing that has happened to me in 14 years.

“This is the type of thing that will make us move from Dalton.

“The visitors were stuck in the zoo. We couldn’t send them through Marton because God only knows where they’d have ended up.

“People who are not from around here wouldn’t have a clue where to go.”

Mr Gill says the carnival committee should have paid for signs to say the park was open and accessible through alternative routes.

He said: “This year they’ve gone crazy. They have not even made an effort to talk to me. They should have come to me in advance.

“It has got to be the craziest idea I have ever come across. What they have done is shut down my zoo for the day.

“Physically we only need to close the road for half-an-hour but the council and carnival committee asked for a road closure for four hours. It’s with no consideration for the residents or businesses of Dalton.

“Over 80 per cent of our business is from the M6 and people are reliant on the brown signs. I am disgusted with the committee, the town council and the borough council because they have all failed to communicate with us.”

Mr Gill had a similarproblem in 2005 when the carnival organisers planned to close the road for four hours. After negotiations they decided to close the road for only 30 minutes.

The Evening Mail was unable to contact the Dalton Carnival Committee this morning for a comment.