THE new foot and mouth outbreaks in the Eden Valley area of Cumbria, which Government vets were hoping was the last "rump" of the national epidemic, flared again yesterday, with five new cases confirmed overnight.

There have been no new outbreaks elsewhere in the UK this week. Meanwhile, the political rows stumble on ...

The BBC has accused NFU President Ben Gill, who farms in North Yorkshire, of being "barking mad" for alleging that TV helicopters helped spread the disease. And county council officials are to investigate grouse shooters - who have to be specially licensed - for allegedly not conforming to bio-security measures on some North Yorkshire shoots.