BUSINESSES have been suffering as a result of the devastating Winter Hill fire, one losing an estimated £1,500 over last weekend alone.

Around five stores in Sheep House Lane, Rivington were closed on Sunday, as people were told to avoid the area.

Jayne Tolen, aged 57, who owns the Rivington Village Green Tea Room, said that she was forced to send staff home early on Saturday afternoon, but chose to close earlier on Sunday due of a lack of customers.

She said: “It’s like a ghost town at the moment.

“We were told to leave on Saturday because the smoke was really bad. It was affecting people. They were coughing.”

The tea room lost an estimated £500 on Saturday due to a combination of lower footfall and a shortened day.

But Jayne said that Sunday is usually the busiest day for the tea room and estimated losses for the day were around £1,000.

She said: “We got in on Sunday morning around about nine o’clock. We were still open, but left at about three o’clock.”

A cabinet full of uneaten cakes had to be thrown out.

Situated on the fringe of the West Pennine Moors, the tea room is often frequented by hikers, walkers and cyclists, but the Rivington Ramblers and a small cycling group who usually visit on Mondays didn’t show up this week.

According to Jayne, regulars are still coming in and some have called to ask if they are open, but footfall has been so slow that staff have been getting on with general maintenance such as painting and cleaning.

As the fires are expected to continue while temperatures remain high, Jayne said: “You’ve just got to grin and bear it.”

Jayne, who lives in Tockholes, took over the business four years ago from her mother who had ran it since 1982.

The only disruptive weather that compares with this, Jayne said, was the heavy snow four years ago which settled for a month and forced some roads to close.

Jayne said that locals are now speculating what will happen to the Iron Man Triathlon event, which is due to take place on July 15 on a course that runs through the moors.