AN emergency plan is to be drawn up to tackle any future outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in County Durham.

The move was agreed by members of the authority's cabinet yesterday and follows a request from councillors representing the west of the county - one of Britain's worst hit areas.

Those directly affected by the crisis and experts who dealt with it will be consulted by council officers and councillors drawing up the plan.

The council officers will talk to other local authorities and refer to public inquiries that have already been held.

Councillor Bob Pendlebury, cabinet member for the environment, said the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease had caused grave problems in the county's rural economy.

He said: "While the county council's staff acted as efficiently as possible to a rapidly worsening situation, the absence of a plan ready for such an emergency was a serious impediment to clear, consistent action.

"There is the unwelcome possibility of a re-occurrence at some point in the future and our best option would be to prepare an emergency plan, focusing not just on foot-and-mouth but on the generic risk of infectious animal diseases.

"Heaven forbid we ever have to go through a repeat of last year's crisis, but it will be reassuring to a lot of people to know that if the worst should happen our response will be better prepared."