FARMERS in a foot-and-mouth hotspot who breach the tough precautions in place to fight the disease are being warned they could face court action.

Four North Yorkshire farmers have been already been prosecuted and convicted for breaching bio-security regulations.

The county council's trading standards officers are investigating 70 cases across North Yorkshire, including more than 20 in the Thirsk bio-security intensification area, created last month by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Allegations include moving animals without a licence, altering movement licences, failing to dispose of animal carcasses in a proper manner and not cleansing and disinfecting vehicles and clothing.

Mr Graham Venn, assistant head of trading standards at County Hall, Northallerton, said: "The vast majority of farmers have been doing all they can to stop the disease spreading, but there seems to be a small pocket of farmers whose actions can be described as criminally negligent.

"Four cases have been brought to trial already where farmers have been fined for breaching regulations and we will not hesitate to prosecute in future.

"Where farmers have failed or deliberately breached precautions they are putting other people's livelihoods in danger and are undermining the efforts of responsible farmers."

l Defra vets identified a further case of foot and mouth disease in North Yorkshire over the weekend.

The affected animals- now slaughtered - are at Deepgrove Farm, Lythe, near Whitby.

This brings the total cases of foot and mouth in North Yorkshire to 134. Meanwhile, blood test results from animals slaughtered on suspicion of having the disease at three farms in North Yorkshire (Birkwood Farm), Snilesworth, near Northallerton,) West House Farm, Borrowby near Thirsk and Hesketh Grange, Boltby, near Thirsk) have all come back negative.

l The pig farmer whose animals were among the first to be infected in the foot-and-mouth outbreak and who faces 16 charges relating to the disease has been charged with six more offences.

Bobby Waugh, 56, who operated from Burnside Farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, appeared in court on Thursday of last week charged under the Animal Health Act 1981 and the Protection of Animals Act 1911.

The original 16 charges include five counts of failing to notify officials of foot-and-mouth disease in animals, four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to animals, bringing unprocessed catering waste on to his premises and feeding it to pigs.

The council spokesman added that the six fresh offences under the Animal Health Act relate to two of moving pigs without a licence and two of failure to maintain movement records.

Under the Trade Descriptions Act the two alleged offences relate to false descriptions on transport documents.

The trial, expected to last two weeks, has been set for April 15 next year.