THE government is being pressed for quicker progress in completing the reopening of the countryside in North Yorkshire.

Leading county councillors and local MPs urged countryside minister Mr Alun Michael, at a meeting in London, to set out a clear timetable for lifting restrictions in the wake of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Council leader Coun John Weighell said: "Three months after the county's last foot and mouth case, it is very important that North Yorkshire be declared officially free of the disease.

"It is now also time to open paths and bridleways which are still closed, except in particularly higher risk circumstances such as farmyards on former infected premises.

"The discussion with the minister was very constructive. We are confident he understands the urgent need for more progress. We will hope for some further announcements from the government soon.

"Throughout the foot and mouth crisis the county council has always adopted a cautious approach on the whole subject, particularly supporting the biosecurity measures, but we believe now is the time to open more footpaths and bridleways."

The North Yorkshire delegation also included MPs Mr William Hague and Mr David Curry, Coun John Blackie, from Hawes, and county council chief executive Mr Jeremy Walker.

It pressed for extension of business rate relief until April next year, reopening of auction marts and investment in them, more investment in promoting rural tourism and review of the "21-day" rule on livestock movements.

Coun Blackie said: "The key to rural recovery is reducing to a minimum the restrictions on business, both in agriculture and tourism. It is vital to get all our footpaths open again as soon as possible. We hope the minister will respond positively."

l Hambleton councillors have backed a call by their counterparts in Ryedale for a full and open public inquiry into all aspects of the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Ryedale has asked all North Yorkshire councils to lobby Mrs Margaret Beckett, secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs.

Coun Bert Langthorne, a farmer from Brompton, told the Hambleton cabinet that handling of foot and mouth in the Danby Wiske area had been "diabolical."

Farmers were now incurring extra costs running into hundreds of pounds because of trading standards bureaucracy in taking livestock to market when animal passports were the simple way of doing it. Coun Langthorne said: "We cannot carry on like this."

He added: "We are now under all these restrictions and still importing beef, pork, mutton and lamb from other countries with no restrictions whatever.