The Government slapped a fresh ban today on the movement of livestock across the UK and called for farmers to be extra vigilant after scientists confirmed a fresh outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Surrey.

The outbreak, on grazing land near Egham, was discovered only a few days after the Government's Chief Veterinary Officer declared that another outbreak ten miles away had been eradicated.

Samples from the infected cattle were taken this morning and sent to the nearby Veterinary Laboratories Agency at Weybridge while officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) began a pre-emptive cull.

Defra confirmed this afternoon that the cattle in question were infected with the virus. "A movement ban of cattle, sheep, pigs and other ruminants has now been imposed in England and parallel arrangements are being made by the Scottish and Welsh administrations," Defra said in a statement.

Expert View

If the outbreak spreads, it will be one of the worst times in the farming year for animals to be locked down

Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor of The Times

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Defra said it had imposed a protection zone with a 3-km (2-mile) radius around the affected area with a surveillance zone stretching a further 10 km (six miles). That zone encircles Heathrow airport, stretches of both the M25 and the Thames and Windsor Castle and its grounds, where the Queen farms a Jersey dairy herd, beef cattle and some 2,000 pigs.

The European Union decided this afternoon to reimpose a ban on the importation of British meat, livestock and dairy products.

The strain and origin of this latest outbreak of the disease has not yet been identified. The last outbreak in Surrey saw farmers and biosecurity experts mount a determined and co-ordinated campaign to stop the disease spreading to avoid a repeat of the disastrous foot-and-mouth crisis of 2001, when seven million sheep and cattle were slaughtered and which cost the country an estimated £8.5 billion.

"We are completely stunned. It’s an absolute hammer blow," said Anthony Gibson, a spokesman for the National Farmers’ Union.

"The message to farmers has got to be the virus is back. We’re going to be reliving the nightmare."

Within hours the alarm was raised in other parts of the country. Industry sources said that a temporary exclusion zone was imposed around a farm in Dereham, Norfolk, where a number of pigs were said to be showing symptoms that could suggest foot-and-mouth - although the move was described

The Scottish Executive played down reports of an outbreak in Lanark, although a vet was sent out to examine a sheep at a market. "We are not treating this as a suspected foot-and-mouth outbreak at this stage," a spokesman said. "As far as we are aware, it is just a sheep with a temperature."

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment, added: "This is news that no one wanted to hear, least of all the farming industry. The immediate establishment of both a Protection Zone, with footpaths closed within it, and a national animal movement ban shows our determination to contain and eradicate this latest outbreak.

"Having spoken this morning to farming industry representatives, I know they share this view and the utmost vigilance is now needed from everyone."

Gordon Brown was informed of the new suspected outbreak during a visit to Leicester where he was due to attend a "citizens' jury" meeting on crime. He is due to chair a meeting of the Governments' emergency committee, Cobra, later this afternoon.

Debby Reynolds, the Government's Chief Veterinary Officer who last week declared foot-and-mouth to be eradicated from the UK, said: "At this stage we have not identified the strain or origin of this outbreak. The situation remains uncertain and I urge all animal keepers to be vigilant for signs of disease, practice stringent biosecurity measures, including the movement ban and licensing conditions."

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