London was said to be suffering, but the reality was they did not know what suffering was

Chris Collier

Ms Collier told the inquiry on Thursday the scenes she faced during the crisis were like a "war zone".

She said: "I sat down a couple of nights ago and and read through a diary I kept during the early weeks of the disease... the memory of it did remind me that this was like a war zone."

Ms Collier criticised sections of the media for the "flashing of horrific pictures" on television.

She also said she believed road and footpath closures added to the problem, along with "inappropriate" official language.

"On 28 February, there was an announcement made and publicity campaign which actually used the language 'unless your journey is essential, do not visit the Lake District'," she said.

Chris Collier: Place was 'war zone'

"Any holiday, any recreational break is not essential and tourism operators told me the effect was like a tap being turned off."

Ms Collier criticised the English Tourism Council for "lack of understanding of the severity of the situation here".

She added: "Towns and cities were doing very nicely out of this, and it was not recognised.

"London was said to be suffering, but the reality was they did not know what suffering was."