FOOT-AND-MOUTH disease has struck again in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales - more than two months after the last recorded infection.

Fears were growing last night that the fresh case could re-infect Wensleydale, still struggling to overcome the epidemic's devastating effect on its farming and business communities.

Last night, slaughtermen were culling stock on land in adjoining Bishopdale, just a few miles from Aysgarth, after the infection was confirmed yesterday morning.

County councillor John Blackie, who represents Upper Wensleydale, said: "It is absolutely dreadful news. It looks like foot-and-mouth, which we last had in April, has returned to haunt us.

"The whole valley of Bishopdale would appear to be under threat, and the fear is that the tourism industry is going to suffer again."

He called on the Government to treat North Yorkshire as a special case to receive extra aid - in line with Cumbria and Devon. The total number of cases in the county stands at 86, but many other farms have been subjected to contiguous culls.

Tourists, who avoided the area during the first outbreak, were beginning to return when the epidemic hit the Skipton and Settle area.

"Things were just beginning to recover again and we have this new outbreak in Bishopdale. The fear is we will be completely knocked back again. It is a bad time for the whole area," said Coun Blackie.

Edward Forth, Richmond district councillor for Leyburn, said: "Shops and bed and breakfasts in the area were just beginning to breathe a sigh of relief.

"All the businesses were hoping that the footpaths would soon be reopened, but this is going to put a complete block on that for the rest of the season. This new case is extremely worrying because it could start a new wave of infection."

In all, there have been ten cases of foot-and-mouth in the Wensleydale area. The first was confirmed at Raygill Farm, near Hawes, on March 7, while the most recent was at Crossfields, near Aysgarth on April 23.

Yesterday's confirmed infection was on land stocked with 30 dairy cows and a herd of sheep, at West Lane Farm.

The animals are owned by father and son James and Kenneth Banks of nearby Hargarth Farm, Newbiggin.

A family member told The Northern Echo last night: "The slaughtermen are in now, but it hasn't hit us yet.

"We don't know how it got here, it's terrible, we thought we were safe."

Meanwhile, preparations are under way to store more than 3,000 tonnes of ash from burned foot-and-mouth carcasses, on Teesside.

The ash, from a burial site near Widdrington, Northumberland, will be taken by 15 hermetically-sealed lorries before being transferred to rail containers and taken to the Freightliner site at Wilton, near Redcar.

Last night, it was unclear how long the ash will be stored at Redcar but officials said it could be anything from a few days to a few weeks.

Eventually it will be taken by rail to an undisclosed mass landfill site - thought to be in the South-East - where it will be buried.

Read more about foot-and-mouth here.