Foot-and-mouth outbreaks connected

The first outbreak in August was traced to the Pirbright laboratory site in Surrey. A second outbreak - 11 miles (17km) away in September - was thought to have been caused by separate contamination.

But research by the Institute of Animal Health (IAH), which shares the Pirbright facility with vaccine company Merial, has concluded the two outbreaks were instead one outbreak with two phases.

IAH scientists made their research public to refute recent claims that there was a second breach in biosecurity at the Pirbright site. They studied the genetic fingerprints of the virus recovered from the different infected premises in the outbreak.

After analysing the evidence, they determined the probable sequence of transmission between the infected premises.

The report said an independent expert peer review process had accepted the study's conclusions that the second phase of the outbreak originated from the first phase and was not from a separate release.

According to the IAH investigation, the virus was somehow transported 11 miles from the first infected premises in Normandy to another farm in the Virginia Water area.

The IAH said its results were given to Defra in late September and the scientists who carried out the work felt "frustrated" that they were not reported sooner, a spokesman said.

The IAH's decision to publish the findings came as the Government announced Defra is to be stripped of its responsibility for regulating laboratories which handle animal viruses in the wake of the outbreak.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) would now establish a single regulatory framework covering the handling of both human and animal pathogens.