ANXIOUS Hampshire farmers are today facing the prospect of slaughtering over 5,000 animals after a suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease rocked the county.

Last night a five-mile exclusion zone was placed around Merryfield farm, Monkwood near Alresford after a farmer noticed suspicious signs in one of his pigs.

Today, the Hill family, who own a large dairy and pig herd which are kept on the 2,500 hectare farm at Monkwood nervously await the results of tests.

Waiting for ministry officials to return to the farm this morning, estate manager Peter Datlen (corr) told the Echo: "We are waiting to see if the test results are positive. If they are then every piece of livestock on this farm will have to be destroyed.

"The financial implications of that would be horrendously high, but I wouldn't say it would mean the end of the business.

"We have been placed under category A restrictions - all we can do now is wait and see."

NFU Regional Director Shaun Leavey described the case as a "worrying and serious development."

He said: "Although it is depressing for a case to have come up in Hampshire it is something that we have expected to happen.

"The purpose of the ban on moving cattle was to minimise the risk of the disease spreading.

"We will be in a better position to know the full extent of the outbreak by next week."

Mr Leavey also offered the NFU's support to the family. He said: "They know we are here if they need our help. We will provide whatever we can for them".

He added: "The farming community is a resilient one, and so is the organisation (NFU). We have come under a lot of stress over the past days but we are doing everything we can to keep the disease out."

"We cannot become complacent throughout the rest of the week as cases are spreading. We need to maintain a high level of vigilance."

A trailer across the entrance and a stark yellow warning sign block Mr Hill's administration headquarters at nearby West Tisted.

The sign tells passer-bys "Warning foot and mouth disease. Keep out!"

Nearby farmer Dick Newman, who has a young cattle heard, said his thoughts were with the Hill's.

He said: "It must be a terrible time and a pretty devastating thing to go through. But all we can do is look, wait and hope for the best."

Steven Wren, 41, farms 100 cattle at Barracks Farm in Monkwood, near Alresford, less than a mile from the affected farm.

Mr Wren said today: "Our fields virtually back on to that farm.

"It is all quite frightening. We just have to sit down and wait. Our main income is the selling of hay and straw and we can't do any of that at the moment."