Foot and mouth alerts at Chessington and Kent

The UK’s chief veterinary officer, Debby Reynolds, said two new control zones have been set up around the Surrey theme park and the farm in Kent.

Three cattle at Honeychild Manor Farm in the village of St Mary in the Marsh have been tested after “an inconclusive assessment of clinical symptoms” of the disease.

A 3km temporary control zone now surrounds the farm, but Dr Reynolds said the two new farms presented “a very low level concern”. She commented the case in Kent could be a false alarm, as it was similar to the case in Dorking, Surrey, last week.

Chessington World of Adventures, which incorporates Chessington Zoo, is outside the restricted zone imposed in Surrey earlier this month.

In a statement, the park said it had contacted the vets and DEFRA after one of its sheep became ill.

A spokeswoman said: “As a precautionary measure and because of the high state of alert currently in place due to the recent cases of foot-and-mouth disease, it was decided to immediately check all our cloven hoof stock for any signs of disease and do necessary tests.”

“There is no reason to suspect that anything but a full clearance will be received from DEFRA,” she added.

For more information visit www.defra.gov.uk