BUTCHERS fear meat supplies could last just a few more weeks unless restrictions on the movement of livestock for slaughter are eased.

Ministers are looking at ways of transporting some animals to abattoirs, under strictly controlled conditions, and Darlington butcher Dirk Pittaway said this could not come soon enough.

Mr Pittaway said his Borough Road shop had supplies for only three or four weeks.

He said: "If there isn't a movement order soon, then the shop will just have to shut.

"It is very worrying indeed, but we have told our customers not to panic. We have enough to keep us going."

Mr Pittaway said he was also concerned for his 75-strong Aberdeen Angus herd near Richmond.

Some of the beasts are approaching 30 months, and if they are not slaughtered by then they will not be able to enter the food chain under BSE restrictions, and will have to be incinerated - a loss of £600 a head.

James Waldron, of High Dales Meat Company, Barnard Castle, said they had meat supplies for two weeks.

He said: "It is quite bad for all the butchers around the area, and if nothing changes we're going to be selling fruit pies."

Malton Bacon Factory has already sent 110 people home on full pay, but a spokeswoman for parent company Uniq said the remaining 2,000 staff were expected to be able to keep working.

She said: "We have increased our imports of pig meat from the EU and we are keeping going to meet our customers' needs."

Darlington caf and bar owner Mike Evers accused a cash-and-carry business of cashing in on the crisis by raising prices. He said a 2.25kg pack of bacon at Bookers had gone from £5.59 to £9.99.

A spokeswoman for Bookers said the cost of some meat products has increased as a result of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

She said: "Bookers is not profiteering from these increases. Our top priority is to work with suppliers to ensure product availability.