VISITORS over the Bank Holiday weekend gave a welcome boost to businesses in the Malvern Hills area.

1,622 people were recorded at Malvern and Upton tourist information centres, compared to 1,701 for the same period last year.

Angela Lessimore, Malvern Hills District Council's tourism officer, said: "This is pretty good, considering what has been happening. It shows people want to get out and about."

She said bed bookings were also looking good for the Spring Gardening Show, which runs from today (Friday) until Sunday.

Ian Rowat, director of the Malvern Hills Conservators, said: "It was not too bad on Saturday but by Monday it was absolutely heaving.

"You had the people who would normally be all over the hills concentrated in the northern section."

Wardens had to speak to a number people seen trying to get on to parts of the hills which were still closed, including the middle section and British Camp, but Mr Rowat said it was not a major problem.

"It's human nature," he said. "Some people were just trying it on but others saw cars parked and just assumed, or wanted to assume, those parts of the hills were open."

John Redman, of the St Ann's Well cafe, said: "Monday was good for us but there are a lot of businesses around the hills which won't have felt the benefit.

"We need more visitors before we can say it is really getting better."

Helen Thomas, of the Foley Arms Hotel, said: "The weather was on our side. I get the impression that people are starting to come back to Malvern and that has got to be good for local businesses."

Paul Ferguson, at Malvern Outdoors, said: "Trade was up on previous weekends but not what it was this time last year. But it's good to see that things are starting to buck up."

Mr Ferguson he said that several customers had told him they had heard on TV that the hills were shut.

"If that is true, it's not very helpful," he said. "I was directing people to the areas of the hills they could visit."