Hard-working vets have helped farmers battling against foot-and-mouth disease make "important steps on the long road back to normality", a Government official said today.

Farmers in northern England today received a boost as some restrictions on animal movement - and therefore sales - were lifted in a large part of Cumbria and a smaller area of Northumberland.

However in these high-risk areas, trading with businesses outside their respective counties is still banned.

Movement restrictions were also lifted around Cleveland's border with Teesside, which affects 174 farms around the town of Yarm.

Relaxing the rules only came after extensive blood testing and clinical examination of thousands of animals.

At Newcastle Disease Emergency Control Centre, administration director Keith Raine today said: "It is a couple of weeks since the last infected premise was confirmed in our area.

"No-one is saying we are out of the woods yet, but restrictions do continue to be lifted.

"It is a significant breakthrough, opening up increased and much needed opportunities for the farmers concerned.

"These are important steps on the long road back to normality."

Around 50 farmers should benefit from the lifting of restrictions in north west Northumberland, although the "blue box" restrictions from around the Allendale area remain in place.

Divisional veterinary manager Arthur Griffiths today paid tribute to his team of vets who make 900 farm visits a week. He said: "This hard work, which goes on seven days a week, is helping more and more farmers to move stock, although not with the freedom they would usually enjoy."

The last foot-and-mouth case in Northumberland was confirmed more than two weeks ago. Since August, when foot and mouth disease returned to the county, 90,000 animals have been slaughtered, 197 premises cleared and a total of 32 cases have been confirmed.

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