The information point, based at The Mill, closed on Tuesday after eight years of providing a service.

Marketing manager for the centre, Paula Hammerton, said they could not afford to keep the office open.

She said: "We did have a steady trickle of people coming through the doors. It was great to provide a good community support service. We did ask Kirklees Council to step in but they said it was not really a viable business and they had no funding available for it.

"It's a great shame that it has closed. We would rather have not closed it but it was not making business sense.

"It does leave a gap. It's another arm that Batley is missing now."

She said the centre offered a variety of services and was the first point of call for many visiting the area.

It was also an information point for people wanting to book accommodation, find out about local events taking place, and for those wanting information about public transport.

Talks about closing the business began about three months ago.

The centre's three members of staff have been made redundant as a result of the closure.

Andrew Sloman, town centre manager, said: "It was a fantastic service and one of the only independent TIC centres in the country."

But he said he hoped the gap left by the closure could be filled by services offered at the town hall, including a range of leaflets and pamphlets, and websites.

He said: "It's a sad loss for the area but we will try our best to fill the gap quickly for all those who live and visit here."

He added: "We want to make sure people living locally and beyond have got access to tourist information for visiting Batley and Dewsbury.

"It is key at the moment to keep a positive image of the town and attract people."

Now all tourism enquiries need to be re-directed to local authority-maintained tourist information centres – the nearest of which is in Huddersfield. Call 01484 223200 for more information.