Bluetongue blew into UK on midges

Bluetongue was carried into the UK by infected midges blown from continental Europe, said a report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The first signs of the disease were spotted on a cow at a rare breeds farm near Ipswich, Suffolk, in late September.

Defra says 60 animals have been infected - the latest on a farm near Cambridge.

The disease is common in southern Europe and has emerged across northern European countries during the past year.