Horse racing is to resume in an area badly affected by foot-and-mouth disease despite the course being in a restricted "blue box" area, a Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said today.

Punters will be able to enjoy racing in the Northumberland countryside when the first meeting of the year gets under way at Hexham on Friday October 5.

It will be the first National Hunt meeting to be held in the county since mid-June.

Fresh outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in the nearby Allendale area at the end of August prompted government officials to impose strict animal movement regulations and set up a "blue box" restriction zone.

But work carried out by racecourse staff to ensure bio-security has convinced Defra that the meeting can go ahead as planned.

Managing director of Hexham Racecourse and clerk of the course, Charles Enderby, said today: "We are obviously delighted that this meeting, and the second one on Saturday October 13, can go ahead.

"We did lose four meetings last season because of foot-and-mouth but this gives us all a great fillip for the season ahead.

"We have worked closely with the chief veterinary office of the Jockey Club and the staff at the Newcastle Disease Emergency Control Centre to ensure that our bio-security measures are strong enough to cope with the type of crowd we expect for the first meeting of the season."

Mr Enderby appealed to racegoers to arrive early to ensure they leave enough time to get through the Defra disinfection points.

Defra's deputy regional operations director Keith Raine said today: "We have a difficult balancing act to perform.

"We want to ensure we stay ahead of the disease in the Allendale Blue Box but we also know how important events such as Hexham Races are to the economy of the area."