The Yorkshire coast's tourist industry is in line for a big boost as a result of a £1.5m television advertising campaign being mounted in the wake of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

County cricketer Darren Gough, gardener Alan Titchmarsh, film star Sean Bean and television personality Brian Blessed are among the stars who have given their services free of charge to promote Yorkshire in the advertisements which are to be screened in the London area and the Midlands during the next few weeks.

The campaign is being masterminded by the Yorkshire Tourist Board, based in York, and is funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Government's regional development agency.