Foot-And-Mouth Report Blames Leaky Drains

The recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Surrey was probably caused by leaky drains combined with heavy rain and building work, according to a report.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) said it was "pretty clear" the virus escaped from Pirbright laboratories, four miles from where the disease was discovered.

The Pirbright site is shared by Government-funded Institute for Animal Health (IAH) and pharmaceutical company Merial Animal Health.

HSE Chief Executive, Geoffrey Podger, said it was not possible to pinpoint the exact source of the outbreak at the site, however his teams examination of the site showed "long-term damage" to the pipework of the effluent system, which could have allowed the virus to escape.

Mr Podger said: "We judged it likely that waste water containing the live virus, having entered the drainage pipework, then leaked out and contaminated the surrounding soil."

Professor Brian Spratt of Imperial College London, who conducted a separate biosecurity investigation into the outbreak, said the drains were "poorly maintained and rarely inspected".

At a news conference in central London, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said it was not possible to know the exact cause of the outbreak and the government would take "every possible precaution" to prevent a recurrence of the leak, including new requirements for the IAH and Merial to ensure all of their waste was sterilised within a high-containment area.

He also said there would be revised regulations and guidance on access to restricted sites in the wake of the review into biosecurity.

(CD/SP)