THE owner of kennels near to a farm where foot and mouth disease wiped out a herd of valuable Llama-like Alpaca animals has said that for her it's business as usual.

The 105 South American Alpacas -- are members of the Llama family -- were slaughtered yesterday by Ministry of Agriculture officials, along with 60 sheep at Harwood Fold Farm, Showley Road, Clayton-le-Dale, after the disease was discovered in the herd on Wednesday.

But Ribble Valley Kennels, off Showley Road, which provides accommodation for family pets such as cats and dogs when their owners are on holiday, has been told the business can stay open despite concerns that customers could spread the disease.

Owner Muriel Harwood said a number of people hoping to check their pets in had contacted her to ask whether the kennels were still open, some even enquiring about booking as late in the year as August.

But she had been told by four different Ministry of Agriculture officials that they can can remain open and there was no problem as long as precautionary measures are taken.

She said: "People can still bring their animals over, and can pick them up as arranged. MAFF has sterilised the road and asked us to disinfect our tyres, and I understand they will be coming down again in the next couple of days to spray the road again. We have been lent a spray so we can do our tyres and customers' tyres."

And Mrs Harwood stressed that visitors to the kennels act on official advice and stay off the fields.

She said: "We're still open for business but we do expect customers to be responsible and come down in their vehicles and do not attempt to walk down the road. They cannot goon to the grass. MAFF said it's fine for people to use the road as long as their tyres don't go on the grass." But everybody is doing what they can to keep life as normal as possible in spite of the crisis.

She said: "It's a very difficult time for the anyone farming, but the community here is very strong and is bonding together. Marge who owns the bed and breakfast at Rose Cottage at the top of the road has been taking in mail for us and the farm so we can pick it up."

A spokesman for MAFF confirmed yesterday that the Alpacas and sheep were slaughtered early on Thursday morning and their corpses had been removed from the farm to an undisclosed location for burial.