Complete ban on livestock movement

All movement of livestock in Britain has been banned as fears grow that foot-and-mouth disease is sweeping across the country. The seven-day ban came into force at 1700 GMT on Friday and all livestock markets and abattoirs in England and Wales have been shut. The move comes as Ministry of Agriculture officials say the highly contagious virus may have been spreading from a farm in Northumberland for more than two weeks. Large parts of the countryside are out of bounds to the public this weekend, several tourist attractions have imposed restrictions on visitors and one racecourse has called off a meeting.