THE new foot-and-mouth outbreak in the North-East was threatening to spiral out of control last night as the number of cases rose to six.

Over the weekend, draconian controls came into force across a 400 square mile area around the infected farms.

And residents at Tow Law, County Durham, fear that dead animals could once again be dumped at the burial site there.

After "categorically" ruling out using the Inkerman site to dump carcasses from the first outbreak on Friday, officials yesterday said they "couldn't rule it out" after more cases were confirmed over the weekend.

New outbreaks were confirmed at Stone Hall Farm, Catton, and Nettle Hill Farm, near Allendale, both within five miles of the first outbreak, Taylor Burn Farm, between Hexham and Alston.

Last night, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed three further outbreaks at The Hope, Peek Riding and Glenhill Farm, also all in the North-umberland "Blue Box" restricted area.

The "Blue Box" zone around the cluster stretches from Hexham in the north to Weardale in the south, encompassing 550 farms.

Within it, licences for the movement of animals were yesterday rescinded and stringent measures, including Keep Out signs and disinfectant use, put in place at farm entrances.

Northumbria Police announced that officers were patrolling the area to prevent breaches of the rules.

Tow Law residents, spared lorry loads of carcasses for nearly two months, are preparing for more burials on their doorstep.

Protestor Syd Worgan said: "Feelings are running very high now. I know a lot of people in Tow Law who are willing to get arrested for this."

Communities near Hamsterley, County Durham, are also on alert after Defra confirmed a routine blood test of stock revealed a positive result. The sheep have been re-tested.

The source of the cluster in Northumberland is still a mystery, although two of the affected farmers are thought to have bought animals from Hexham market, raising fears that infected animals could have been transferred to other farms. Hexham mart will voluntarily close tomorrow.

National Farmers' Union North-East director Richard Ellison described the fresh outbreaks as a "massive disappointment", adding: "Farmers here are very depressed, very nervous and fed up."

Arthur Griffiths, divisional veterinary manager with Defra, said: "This is a major setback and reinforces the need for draconian measures to stop the spread of the disease."

As national parks across the country host events to reinforce the message that they are open for business, tourist attractions in the "Blue Box" zone are bracing themselves for closure.

Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum, in Weardale, is four miles from the latest outbreak and a spokeswoman said: "It's so devastating because things were just beginning to look up - not just for the museum - but for the whole of the community."

Read more about foot-and-mouth here.