FARMERS in the Ribble Valley were facing another weekend of misery after further outbreaks of foot and mouth disease continued to hit the area.

Two new cases have been confirmed taking the number of outbreaks in the area to 23.

Farmers at Shuttleworth Hall Farm, Gisburn and Wycongill Farm, Bolton-by-Bowland, were left devastated as the entire Ribble Valley struggled to come to grips with the crisis.

The Leeming family, who live at Wycongill Farm, have had their 300-strong dairy herd culled.

And the family say they have been left in total shock and dismay at the way the current foot and mouth situation has been handled by the government.

Malcolm Leeming said: "I do not care what anybody says, the reason people have not been informed about foot and mouth adequately is because it has been a cover up for the election.

"Now it is over questions need to be raised and appropriate answers need to be given, without brushing people off with inadequate responses."

Ministry of Agriculture officials are still insisting that there will not be a mass cull in Lancashire despite rumours sweeping the farming community.

Mr Leeming added: "Everything has been kept quiet and not enough information has been made available for people who want to find out more.

"It has been handled very badly and it would not surprise me if a mass cull did take place despite everything that has been said to make us believe that the government haven't got anything on their agenda. Even the slaughter men have admitted to me that they are getting ready for the cull." The number of cases in Lancashire is now 38 with a total of 52,727 of animals culled bringing the number to 1,714 cases in the United Kingdom with a total of 3,229,200 animals slaughtered.

In the light of the latest veterinary advice from MAFF, restrictions on livestock movements in the Settle and Clitheroe area have been further extended.

Restrictions have been increased to include an area from Sedbergh and Leyburn in the north to a line from Preston and Blackburn through to Leeds in the south and bounded by the M6 to the west and A1 to the east.

Mr Leemings added: "We welcome the restrictions, but a lot of farmers in the area feel they have come too late, because we followed all the guides, to try and prevent us from getting the disease.

"Perhaps if the restrictions has been in place sooner some of the animals could have been saved.

"It is heart breaking to see your live's work taken away from you in the space of one day.

"We have lived on the farm for 34 years and my father, John who is 73, has never known anything different than farming.

"I feel sorry for other farmers who don't have anybody to lean on in this terrible time."