The York army chief in charge of the military operation to eradicate foot and mouth has warned the situation in North Yorkshire is on a 'knife edge'.

And he has pleaded with walkers who use newly-opened footpaths to continue to take every precaution to avoid spread of the disease.

Brigadier Andrew Farquhar, commanding officer of 15 (North East) Brigade, based at Imphal Barracks, says his main concern is the possibility of foot and mouth getting into the pig and cattle populations of the Vale of York and East Yorkshire.

"We're on a knife-edge at the moment in North Yorkshire," he said. "We've got outbreaks where we were frankly not expecting them, and where they are creeping towards areas of greater animal population potentially the large concentrations of dairy cattle and pigs in North Yorkshire."

He said the question of whether to open footpaths was one for local authorities and with the summer season approaching, he could understand the pressure on them to do so in certain areas.

But in a message to walkers who chose to use footpaths which had been reopened, he said: "Please be cautious. Follow the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs guidelines and behave sensibly.

"If you're walking on a road on the moors which is open to animals and then come to a disinfected footpath, make sure you scrub your boots scrupulously. Don't just think it will be all right."

Updated: 08:45 Thursday, June 14, 2001