COLOURFUL tales of the lives and times of vets in a North Yorkshire market town are continuing to underpin the local economy, councillors have heard.

Hambleton District Council’s scrutiny committee has been told the James Herriot brand was still key for traders and the community, attracting coach-loads of visitors to the area and sustaining businesses 48 years after being created by Thirsk vet Alf Wight.

Partly helped by the popularity of TV show The Yorkshire Vet, The World of James Herriot had seen a 20 per cent surge in visitors this year, members examining the vitality of the district’s market towns were told.

Giving evidence to the committee, Welcome to Yorkshire director David Shields also highlighted the importance of events such as Tour de Yorkshire in keeping market towns thriving.

He said in common with Herriot, international cycling races such as the upcoming UCI World Championships, were bringing large numbers of people to the area for the first time.

“It isn’t just about a major sporting event with elite cyclists, it’s about the community involvement and the legacy that that brings.

“The Tour de Yorkshire has been through Bedale, Northallerton and Thirsk and maybe the opportunities of the legacies haven’t been maximised. If people are coming in spending money they are sustaining jobs.”

Mr Shields said for the market towns in Hambleton, and Thirsk in particular, Herriot was “a really good theme to pursue”, “despite people thinking All Creatures Great And Small hasn’t been on the television for 20 years”.

He said: “Although we are saying Yorkshire is Yorkshire’s biggest market and day visitors are very important, it’s about converting day visitors into staying visitors and those staying visitors putting more money into the local economy.”

Many traders in the area, ranging from holiday cottages to cafes, are quick to point towards the importance of Herriot.

The council recognised the potential economic injection the fictional vet could bring to the area when it set up the World of James Herriot in 1999, but amid falling visitor numbers it was taken over by tourism expert Ian Ashton in 2012.

Mr Ashton said the Kirkgate attraction had received 36,000 visitors this year.

He said: “The Yorkshire Vet series has had a distinct effect in increasing numbers from the UK and we are continuing to benefit from the enduring popularity of James Herriot around the world. We are about to complete a James Herriot website for Russia and have just returned from a marketing trip to Germany.”