PRECAUTIONS to stop the spread of foot and mouth disease have been stepped up following an outbreak in Okehampton town within half-a-mile of a primary school and three supermarkets.

Mats smothered in disinfectant have been placed outside all shops and business premises and some outlets are restricting entrances.

The outbreak at Jeff Wooldridge's farm at Oaklands was confirmed on Tuesday morning, bringing the total number of outbreaks in the county to 29. It is believed the farm has links with another infected premises.

The farm is situated at the end of Oaklands Drive which houses the offices of West Devon Borough Council and the footpath entrance to Okehampton Primary School.

Staff at the borough council offices who live on farms or travel to work by car are being asked to work in the authority's Tavistock office to minimise movement and Okehampton Primary School is taking extra precautions.

Environmental health officer for West Devon Borough Council Dave Banks said all Mr Wooldridge's animals had been slaughtered and would be taken off site for rendering as soon as possible.

'Being in a residential area removing the carcasses is of the highest priority,' he said.

He added that due to the vigilance of the farmer, the animals were caught in the very early stages of the disease and as a result the spread of it would be minimised.

The borough offices in Oaklands Drive are remaining open for the time being but a decision will be taken in the next couple of days on whether to continue with weddings and the magistrates' court.

A confirmed case so close to the town centre has raised concern among NFU officials and local shopkeepers.

Secretary of Okehampton and Hatherleigh branch of the NFU Simon Whattler said people were being very responsible in the town.

'We have advised shops to put mats outside their premises and I have been very impressed by the action they are taking,' he said. 'Once it gets this close to town it is horrifying because of the number of people coming here to use the supermarkets.'

Brian Cunningham from Okehampton Primary School said there was a discussion on whether to close the school of over 600 pupils but it was decided that it was not appropriate at this stage.

'Those children who live on farms are not coming in and we have closed our doors to everything but essential traffic,' he said. 'If Oaklands Drive is closed we have a contingency plan to get the children to the school through Glendale Road. At the moment we are taking regular advice from MAFF, the NFU and the police.

A spokesman for Waitrose said there were no plans to shut the store: 'Straw covered with disinfectant was put down two weeks ago and we have disinfected all the lorries leaving the loading bay on the advice of MAFF,' he said.

Peter Lloyd from the Dovecote restaurant said an outbreak in the town was going to affect all the businesses.

'Trade is slow — there is definitely not so many people coming into town and it is the long-term effect that I am worried about,' he said. 'We are taking all the precautions we can to stop the spread of the disease.'

Lindsey Pidgeon from Sampsons furniture retailers in Market Street said that a large number of their customers were farmers and ordered goods were on hold because the customer could not collect and Sampsons could not deliver.

'We are just sitting tight to see what will happen,' she said.