THE usually bustling community of Hatherleigh came to a grinding halt this week following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on a number of local farms.

Shock, devastation and an overwhelming sympathy for Highampton livestock trader Willie Cleave, who has links with three farms affected by the disease in Devon, were how local people described their reaction to the latest blow to hit the agricultural industry.

Foot and mouth was confirmed at Mr Cleave's Burdon Farm at Highampton on Sunday following outbreaks in Northumberland and Essex. The disease has since been found at a farm near Hatherleigh and one at Hollacombe near Holsworthy. MAFF also confirmed on Tuesday night a foot and mouth outbreak at Hatherleigh abattoir West Devon Meat.

Bill Richards, who farms in Highampton, said every farmer within a 20-mile radius was worried about their own situation and hoped and prayed the disease could be contained.

He said: 'We have to sit and wait. Foot and mouth is a terrible thing wherever it is because it takes so much controlling — there are so many ways it can spread.'

Maurice Thomas, who owns Burdon Grange Nursing Home adjacent to Burdon Farm, said he was with Mr Cleave shortly after the news had been confirmed.

'He was absolutely devastated and so is the whole community because Willie is such a dedicated and hard-working businessman and his whole family work as a team.'

As the Times went to press yesterday (Wednesday) preparations were being made to incinerate almost 200 cattle and 800 sheep at Burdon Farm.

Straw covered with disinfectant lay at the entrance to every farm in the locality with hand-written 'Keep Out — Foot and Mouth Disease' signs decking the gates.

As farmers stayed behind closed doors, primary schools in Highampton and Hatherleigh were closed and business at Hatherleigh's market and abattoir came to a standstill.

Jackie Ody from Highampton Post Office and Stores said the village was unusually quiet without the sound of cattle lorries taking animals to market.

'The road is always busy but without the market it is so quiet,' she said. 'Everybody is very upset by what has happened here and we are all feeling for Willie Cleave and his family. To put in years of hard work and have this happen is terrible.'

Mrs Ody said the image of animals being burned en masse was horrendous and she could not believe in this day and age this was the only solution to the problem of foot and mouth.

In Hatherleigh, abattoir director Peter Bowyer was wondering how his business would survive another crisis.

'It is just another nail in the coffin,' said Mr Bowyer, who had to lay off staff last year after the abattoir lost the contract to slaughter animals in the Government's over 30-month cattle scheme.

'It has been very hard for us since losing the contract and now the business will be closed until further notice.'

The source of foot and mouth at West Devon Meat, which employs 40 people and slaughters 600 cattle and 4,000 sheep a week, is believed to have been an infected animal in the Friday night delivery from Hereford.

Mayor of Hatherleigh Dennis Bater described the town as a 'disaster area'.

'If it were not for TV cameras and news crews Hatherleigh would be pretty much a ghost town,' he said.

'It is not until something like this happens that you realise how much hinges on the

farming community.'

Mr Bater said usually on Hatherleigh's main market day (Tuesday) farmers from all over the area would meet in his fish and chip shop and catch up on the news, but not this week.

'The market brings trade into the town and we can put up with it for one or two weeks but any longer than that and people start to change their habits,' he said.

Hatherleigh market was closed for three weeks during the last foot and mouth epidemic in 1967 but Mr Bater said agriculture was in a better situation generally than it was today.

'After the outbreak in 1967 the agricultural industry bounced back pretty much immediately but it is different today.

'Farmers are getting less than half the price for their animals than they used to and the milk price has dropped drastically. We have had BSE, TB and 12 months of appalling weather — it gets harder to get back up when you have suffered this many blows.'

Frank Yeo, director of KVN Stockdale which runs the market, said the next few days would be critical.

'We will know if the disease has been contained and if it has it will probably be three or four weeks before the market opens again,' he said.

'At the moment we are not looking into the future but taking it day by day — we are quite confident that farmers who have supported Hatherleigh market for 50 years will return when this crisis is over.

'We are waiting for the day when normal service can resume at the market.'