THE WEEKEND brought little relief to new foot and mouth "hotspots" in the North of England although the so-called "Settle Rectangle" in the Settle-Skipton-Clitheroe area remained clear.

Since Friday, there have been a dozen new outbreaks in three new "cluster" areas around Whitby and Thirsk in North Yorkshire and the Eden Valley in Cumbria. The national total now stands at 1,827.