Racing in Britain has been suspended for seven days starting from today due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, it was announced yesterday.

Jockey Club spokesman John Maxse said that racing's authorities planned to resume racing on Wednesday, March 7. The last major outbreak of the disease saw racing in Britain cease for six weeks during the 1967/8 jumps season.

The announcement puts next month's Cheltenham Festival in grave doubt.

The three-day showpiece of the National Hunt season is due to start in a fortnight's time.

Meanwhile Irish Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh, speaking in Brussels, has announced the suspension of all horse and greyhound meetings in Ireland with effect from midnight last night to prevent the spread of the disease.

He also appealed to the Irish public not to travel to the Cheltenham Festival, stressing that people should only travel to Britain if their journey was really necessary.

There has been growing pressure for racing to be halted as the crisis deepens.

Today's meeting at Chepstow became the second to be lost as a result of the outbreak after it was announced yesterday morning that the course fell within one of the exclusion zones.

Horses are immune to the disease but can transport it and notable figures such as Tony McCoy, Martin Pipe and Ferdy Murphy called for racing to be suspended to prevent spreading the disease to farming communities surrounding their yards. Racing has been taking place with strict procedures over the disinfection of horses and horseboxes entering racecourses.

Yesterday's joint statement from the British Horseracing Board and Jockey Club said: "In view of the continuing spread of foot and mouth disease, the directors of the BHB, in conjunction with the stewards of the Jockey Club, have temporarily suspended racing with effect from tomorrow.

"Racing will resume on Wednesday March 7.

"This decision, which has been taken to enable further precautionary measures to be implemented, has the full support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF).''

The BHB's racing director Paul Greeves said: "Although we have Government and veterinary advice that staging racing presents a very small risk of spreading the disease, we have agreed this temporary cessation in order to develop our published precautionary measures.

"In addition, we will be drawing up strict codes of practice for all people and transport that use racecourses, both on racedays and non-racedays.

"We will also develop instructions for use by trainers, and for the public planning on attending racing.

"We believe that, by having a short break, racing is giving itself the best chance of continuing in the long run and also of staging the Cheltenham Festival next month as scheduled."