ENVIRONMENTAL Health staff have been busy preparing disinfectant to help with possible future outbreaks of foot and mouth.

The staff, who are on stand-by following outbreaks in nearby Withnell and Great Harwood, will be ready should the problem spread.

Principal trading standards officer, Darrell Wilson said: "In that situation we would help the farmer by putting up notices round the farm and disinfecting straw laid at the entrance. The disinfecting would also apply to people entering and leaving the farm.

"Although there is now a shortage, we have more than enough disinfectant to do our job -- but we cannot sell it to farmers, we can simply put it down on the day and then it will be left up to them."

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