By Teri Jones A MYSTERY foot and mouth style illness that struck a prize-winning cattle herd is still baffling officials.

More than half the 180 thorough-bred Ayrshire herd at Garrett Hall Farm, Tyldesley, were found to have blisters around their noses and mouths - a symptom of foot and mouth.

Farmer Ian Patrick reported the finding as a suspected foot and mouth case, and ministry officials were at the scene immediately.

The dairy cows, which are bred at the Garrett Lane premises, have won numerous awards over the years, including Best Ayrshire Herd in the North West, and losing them would devastate Mr Patrick's livelihood.

He said: "It was a horrendous discovery - it felt like the end of the world."

Despite the blistering, the animals showed no other symptoms of the disease, leading a ministry vet to believe it was not foot and mouth.

Due to the recent outbreak in Abram, the ministry demanded a second opinion and imposed overnight restrictions on the farm. A second vet also concluded that the blistering was not foot and mouth, but was unable to diagnose the cattle.

After an extensive search of the land, poisoning was suggested as a likely cause of the infection.

Mr Patrick received a tip-off that there had been a diesel spill nearby which could have poured into Honksford Brook - the stream running through his fields.

He said: "My cows drink out of the stream and so could have been poisoned by the contaminated water. The ministry vet said this was the most plausible cause for the infection."

Despite claims the fire brigade and Environment Agency had been called to deal with the incident, extensive investigations have uncovered no official record of any chemical spill in the area in recent weeks.

The Environment Agency believes the last reported spillage that could have affected Honksford Brook happened on May 24.

A spokesman said: "The diesel spillage in May was not a major pollution and would be highly unlikely to still be traced in the stream. We are certainly not aware of any more recent spillages in the vicinity of Garrett Hall Farm."

Firefighters were unaware of a spillage, but have been called out to the area previously by residents claiming they could smell diesel.

A spokesman said: "It was quite bizarre. We could always smell diesel, but could never trace it."