New foot-and-mouth controls in Cumbria

Cumbrian farmers have been hit hard by the disease

A new foot-and-mouth security zone has been announced in Cumbria because of the risk of the disease returning to areas given the all-clear.

The measures will control the movements of people and vehicles visiting farms in a 100-square-mile area, from Penrith to Tebay in the south and east to Brough.

The government's move could add to tension in an area where the patience of farmers and hoteliers is running out as further delays hit prospects of economic revival.

Police and council patrols in the affected zone will stop anyone ignoring the strict guidelines and order them to report to disinfecting points.

Disease 'jumped'

From Thursday, tankers collecting milk from properties within the zone will have to be accompanied by an official from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The new measures follow outbreaks in which the disease was found to have "jumped" from farms near Penrith - where foot-and-mouth was thought to have been contained - to Orton, which is seven miles away.

A Defra spokesman said: "We have reached the point where we have got the resources - and the disease is in an area where we can really get a full grip on it - to try to eradicate it completely.

Shearing licence

Defra also announced special measures restricting sheep shearing in the zone.

All shearers, including farmers or employees helping out on farms other than their own, must hold a special licence allowing them to shear sheep in an infected area.

The Defra spokesman said: "Shearing is something that requires the movement of large amounts of people from place to place so we need to be sure guidelines are followed as it is a potential way of spreading the infection."