GOVERNMENT vets are involved in a desperate chase to halt the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak, as reported cases reached 13.

Fear gripped farming communities in Northumberland when the disease reared its head again on Thursday. The first case, in the Allendale area, saw another dozen follow in a matter of days.

Officials have set up an exclusion zone around the area, in a bid to halt the outbreak.

And the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and government vets are trying to track down where the disease has struck most recently, in a bid to prevent further spread.

Officials have narrowed down the outbreak to two possible sources - existing virus among animals, or the possibility that someone has taken the virus on to a farm.

Divisional veterinary manager Arthur Griffiths said yesterday: "The slaughtering of animals seems to be the only way to go for the moment, in the face of an active disease, but vaccination is still on the agenda.

"This latest outbreak is, ofcourse, a huge step back."

The latest outbreak has seen the slaughter of 1,040 cattle, 6,656 sheep and two pigs, with 22 awaiting disposal.

Those numbers were before reported cases on Tuesday, and are expected to rise dramatically.

Mr Griffiths added: "This outbreak has been disappointing but we hope our measures will see it stamped out as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, a campaign for a full public inquiry into the foot-and-mouth crisis has been launched by a group of MPs and celebrities.

They claim that the Government's three inquiries were designed to be a whitewash.

* On Monday, August 27, The Northern Echo reported that a possible cause of the latest outbreak in Northumberland was the result of two affected farmers buying animals from Hexham Auction Market.

In fact, no animal has been bought at the market since February 21. The information was supplied by the Press Association.