FARMERS in a County Durham dale cautiously cast off the shadow of foot-and-mouth at the weekend to stage the first sheep show in the country since the disastrous disease struck in February last year.

Organisers of the Eastgate Sheep Show - the 17th to be held in the Weardale village - hailed it as "the final light at the end of a very long tunnel".

The show was cancelled for the first time in its history last year because of foot-and-mouth.

Strict bio-security measures were imposed at the weekend by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), whose officials closely monitored the show.

The show, which normally attracts entries from all over the North, was strictly limited to Weardale farmers.

And back came the chemical-soaked mats for people to disinfect their feet, along with a sign telling visitors not to touch the sheep.

Defra veterinary officer Philip Ruell, from Newcastle, said: "We are using this show as an assessment of what will be needed to stage other shows. We are very conscious there is a need to open up all aspects of country life after foot-and-mouth, and that includes staging events like this.

"We have been impressed by what we have seen here."

Show secretary Paul Collinson said: "When we started thinking about staging the show this year, way back in January, we never thought this day would come. At last, we are seeing some normality returning to farming life."

Main show winners: Blue-faced Leicesters, Bill Wearmouth, Eastgate; mule sheep, Herbert Hutchinson, Eastgate; Swaledales, Colin and Ann Martin, Eastgate.

* Langdon Back Sheep Show, which was held in Upper Teesdale for the first time in more than 100 years in 2000 only to be cancelled last year because of foot-and-mouth, returns on September 28

Read more about the foot-and-mouth crisis here.