Arriving in the Tyne valley, the crisp winter sun gave a feeling of idyllic rural charm.

But any expectation of a warm welcome was rudely dispelled when the first farmer we met returned a cordial greeting with a torrent of abuse.

Feelings are running high at Heddon-on-the-Wall, near Newcastle - ground zero in the foot-and-mouth epidemic hitting the farming industry.

It is a mixture of bewilderment, fear, panic and frustration about a disease that none had imagined even in their worst nightmare.

Everywhere, farms displayed signs forbidding entry; some defended by a flimsy barrier of straw soaked in disinfectant.

A farmer at Breckney Hill Farm, on spotting a stranger, jumped into his tractor and raced to the gate.

Standing more than six feet away, as though he might himself spread the disease, Paul Harrison said: "I thought you were from MAFF (the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food). I have been waiting all morning for them."

Then the frustration poured out.

"This is absolutely horrendous. We have had to do everything ourselves. There has been no help from MAFF.

"I am still waiting for them to bring me disinfectant."

Mr Harrison's dairy, which is a mere quarter-of-a-mile away from the source of the latest outbreak, has been paralysed since the news broke.

He said: "We never expected this in our wildest dreams. Every since the news, my phone has not stopped ringing.

"We have had to rely on each other and support each other.

"MAFF are supposed to be our first line of defence, and yet when I called them this morning they couldn't even give confirmation of the outbreak."

Mr Harrison had checked his herd three times by lunchtime yesterday - and none had shown signs of infection. But the fear remained.

Peter Hall, of neighbouring Ash Tree Farm, continued the attack on MAFF. He claimed lines to local offices had been jammed, simply unable to cope with the volume of calls.

He said: "We learned about this outbreak on the news. What if people don't happen to watch the news? How are they supposed to find out?"

In London, hard-pressed civil servants said they were doing their best.

A spokesman said: "We are doing all we can to spread the message. We have got people out across the country.

"We sympathise and understand the position of the farmers. However, it is important that we stamp out this disease as soon as we can."

Leaving the quarantine zone, heavy clouds swirled in carrying icy showers - reflecting the black mood of the day.

Any hope the crisis could soon be over was dashed when another case was confirmed at Ponteland, north of Newcastle.

The farming community in the Tyne Valley faces an anxious weekend. The whole country will be watching, hoping the disease can be stopped before an outbreak turns into an economic disaster