Hampshire was today at the centre of a new outbreak on the animal disease bluetongue.
The bluetongue protection zone was extended after a new case of the disease was confirmed in the county, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said.
A case identified in New Forest District means the zone, out of which the movement of susceptible animals is not permitted, has now extended into the districts and boroughs of Salisbury, Test Valley, Eastleigh, Southampton, Fareham and the Isle of Wight, Defra said.
The wider surveillance zone which covers much of England remains unchanged.
Defra said the disease was identified in a cow as part of pre-movement testing required for moving livestock out of the zones during the ''vector-free period'' when risk of the disease spreading was low. The vector-free period ended on March 15.
A spokeswoman for Defra said the evidence suggested that the cow was infected with the disease, which can kill animals such as sheep and cattle, last year.
There have now been 122 cases of bluetongue in the UK since the disease was first discovered near Ipswich, Suffolk last September, 56 of which have been identified this year.
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