A young farmer was today (Tuesday) waiting anxiously to hear whether his 300-strong flock of sheep and lambs has fallen victim to foot-and-mouth disease.

Richard Easton, 25, who farms in Assington, on the Essex/Suffolk border, called in Maff representatives after he found a lamb with blistered feet.

Mr Easton said: "I was given the opportunity to farm this land last year and I thought I would go for it. Last year I had 50 ewes and have built that up to my current stock. Now to think all that may be lost is heartbreaking.

"The lambs are not right. You can tell they are sick. All I can do is wait and see."

Mr Easton said four lambs died yesterday (Monday) through no fault of his own.

His mother Jennifer, who lives nearby, said: "This is the worst part, just waiting to hear if it is foot-and-mouth. Richard has been in quarantine at the farm and we have been taking him food. It is heartbreaking."

A spokesman for the Army said he could not confirm whether they were to be brought in to shoot wild animals entering on to farmland.

Dog walkers who continually flout a ban on using footpaths could face a £5,000 fine as part of emergency legislation brought in to control the spread of foot and mouth disease.

With the first case of the disease in Colchester confirmed at Wick Farm, Layer de la Haye, on Friday, one angry resident on Dugard Avenue, Stanway, described some dog walkers' attitudes as "crass stupidity".

The resident, who did not wish to be named, said all the signs put up to keep people from using the footpaths along Gryme's Dyke, Stanway, had been ripped down in a flagrant disregard of the ban imposed by Essex County Council.

At a meeting of Thorpe Parish Council, John Maynard said he had seen several cases where signs were being ignored.

One of the worst hit footpaths was the one leading from Station Road around Thorpe Hall.

He said: "I think it is socially extremely irresponsible, given that the footpath goes only a few hundred yards from a major dairy herd. Whoever does it should be ashamed of themselves."

He said: "At the moment we have not got it in the Tendring peninsula but we have been very lucky. That sort of behaviour is just the sort of thing that could bring it into the area."

A spokeswoman for Essex County Council said: "It is very serious and people could be fined up to £5,000," she said.

"Trading Standards can delegate these powers to officers and if the executive board of the county council agree to this today (Tuesday), officers will have the right to enforce these regulations."

She added: "But it is very difficult to police pathways. We are relying on goodwill and common sense.

"We keep appealing to the public to be sensible and responsible about it."

Barry Layzell, head of highways and engineering services for Colchester Council, said: "Any enforcement would be carried out by the police or trading standards. As agents of the Highway Authority, it is the council's job to put up the signs to make the public aware of the situation.

"We are aware that these signs have been taken down and we are making arrangements to have them put up again."

Mr Layzell said people were generally heeding the footpath ban and was only aware of one other location in Wivenhoe where signs had been pulled down.

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