THE Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and Arboretum will throw open its doors tomorrow, welcoming its first visitors in almost four weeks.

The famous gardens closed on March 1, due to concerns over the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. The decision has cost Hamphire County Council, which owns the attraction, about 8,000 visitors and more than £10,000 in revenue.

Director Simon Milne said: "We were being cautious and we sought the advice of other locations in the area and decided to err on the side of caution because the last thing we wanted to do was to add to the horrendous problems.

"But under the government's guidelines I believe there was scope there for opening up the gardens and in consultation with my colleagues at the Hampshire County Council we did a risk assessment and decided the risk was low."

He said that straw pads and foot baths would greet visitors by car and on foot, respectively, to ensure there was no contamination threat and two public footpaths into the gardens remain closed.