In the shadow of the virus

Shalbourne is two miles from a confirmed outbreak

By BBC News Online's Finlo Rohrer

To the casual observer, Shalbourne, nestling on the border of Wiltshire and Berkshire looks like any other rural commuter village, sports cars mingling with mud-spattered Land Rovers on its roads.

But the mixture of professionals and more traditional agriculture-oriented population are, like other rural villages, facing a common problem.

It is a totally bizarre situation - it feels like we are in a leper colony

Jill Dedden
Teacher

Among the pretty thatched cottages, the slew of warning signs reveal that Shalbourne is in the shadow of foot-and-mouth disease.

Locals are keen to emphasise that the disease has not been found in the village, but Shalbourne is less than two miles from Stype, the site of a confirmed case of foot-and-mouth, and falls within the "exclusion zone".

Housebound

Within that exclusion zone live one family rendered housebound for a week, because of a suspected case of foot-and-mouth.

But Jill and Brian Dedden's continuing plight is unusual because, although they own a few sheep, they are not farmers.

Publican Peter Green has seen takings dip

Mrs Dedden, a teacher, and her husband, Brian, who sells broadcast equipment, are unable to go to work and their children cannot go to school until Maff clears them.

"Nothing is allowed to leave or enter. We can't even post letters, that is how severe it is.

"I had a chest infection and I couldn't get to the doctor - I had to diagnose it myself and the doctor kindly prescribed some antibiotics which were passed over the gate.

"It is a totally bizarre situation - it feels like we are in a leper colony.

Blisters found

"We have 17 sheep on seven-and-a-half acres - you either let it grow or you let something chew it down.

"You slaughter your lambs once a year, keep the grass short and have your own lamb for the freezer."

The village is festooned with warning signs

It was in one of these few sheep that the vets from Maff found blisters which they said could have been symptoms of foot-and-mouth.

"They gave us a window of a couple of hours to get all the children back home otherwise they wouldn't be allowed in."

Mrs Dedden said she and her husband were doing what work they could using e-mail and the internet.

"If this had happened 10 or 20 years ago we would have been crawling up the wall."

Home working

Even the children are trying to work from home.

"They thought they were going to be on holiday but their work is being sent through online - if it needs to be dealt with I can teach them."

Village shop owner Sue Allen has seen regulars make a detour

In Shalbourne, the village is much quieter than usual - closed footpaths and the prospect of disinfecting prompting walkers, dog-owners daytrippers and other visitors to make a detour.

Villagers were unable to worship as the local church, near fields containing livestock, was closed after the outbreak.

Peter Green, the landlord of the village pub, the Plough, has already been hit by the crisis, with a lucrative 30-strong party of vintage car enthusiasts cancelling and turnover already down by 10%.

Footpaths worry

The cancellation of the May Day Fair on the village green outside his pub will prove another blow.

"We have a lot of walkers and we are missing them.

Teachers and pupils are thoroughly disinfected at the local school

"It's going to get a lot worse before it clears up - I'm worried they are not going to open the footpaths for a month after the last incident.

"When people see Shalbourne they think they will have to go through a disinfectant bath to get there and they go somewhere else.

"It annoyed a lot of people when it was portrayed as being in the village."

Sue Allen runs the village shop and post office with her partner.

Trade down

She said: "The outbreak is only two miles away - I could smell the burning.

Shalbourne is within exclusion zone

"Trade has gone down. The village isn't deserted - there just aren't a lot of people about.

"There are a lot of people in other villages who come in for their pensions and some shopping but they are avoiding the village.

"My milkman isn't allowed to come in the village.

"I daren't look at the news - it's so depressing."

Villager William Cummins is one of many who express their concern that the outbreak could spread to a herd of prized pedigree Jersey cows, built up over decades, and well-known for their cream.

Villager William Cummins is one of many appalled by the outbreak

Karen Jankinson, acting head of Shalbourne's C of E primary school, admits the restrictions have caused absences from school.

And the most rigidly enforced rule at the school does not relate to talking in class or running in the corridors but instead the rigorous disinfecting process, forcing every pupil - and teacher - to dip their feet before entering and leaving.

But like many villagers, she insisted that life goes on and joked: "We are the Great British stalwarts - we soldier on.

"We have had disruption, we have had to be very careful about disinfecting the children's feet, about where we go, and we have had some absences.

Closed: Services will be held in village hall while church is closed

"The children who live on farms have had a couple of days off - we have had a couple who have moved into grandparents' houses."

She said even the youngest children, who could see and smell the smoke from the nearby outbreak farm, were being taught about the disease.

Chair of the governors, Jenny Blake, insisted: "People are just getting on with it - we accept that we've got to take precautions.

"But life isn't normal, we can't go to church - the entrance is right beside one of the fields with a flock - and everybody with animals is very worried."