AS fears of further foot and mouth outbreaks surfaced further afield this week, the village of Elstead has remained on tenterhooks, with no new cases following the initial cullings and the finding of one infected cow among those culled. The tension that the situation has brought was apparent at a public meeting in the village hall last Friday, called by South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt a week into the developing crisis. "I am just frightened that one day we will not be able to see cows in the fields around here any more", those assembled were told by John Lewis, whose family came to Elstead to farm in 1956, when there were seven dairy herds in the village. Around 200 people turned out to question Rural Affairs Minister Jonathan Shaw, Defra officials and representatives from Waverley Borough and Surrey County Councils. With villagers terrified that laxness could lead to an epidemic, their main concerns surrounded uncertainty over restrictions to dog and horse owners. Defra came under attack for not issuing clearer guidance. "The lack of information was just mind boggling all week," said one farmer. There was praise for Waverley Council's web page of advice, which had 10,000 hits over the week. The previous afternoon (Thursday) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had finally agreed, under pressure from both councils, and following a meeting of Jeremy Hunt with Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, that footpaths, bridleways and open spaces in the three kilometre protection zone should be closed, as those in the Normandy protection zone had been since Wednesday. County council staff had started immediately to shut off the rights of way, but the mood of the meeting was that such action had taken far too long. Surrey county councillor Peter Martin explained: "We would like to have done that a great deal more quickly than was actually the case. Unfortunately, Surrey County Council cannot simply close rights of way. That, I am afraid, has to come from the Secretary of State. "We thought it was inappropriate for farmers to be taking bio-security measures in their fields while walkers with dogs were going past. But council representatives who outlined what action they had taken to inform the public and achieve the closures, found themselves accused of "self-congratulatory patting on the back" by Paul Shubrook. Mr Shubrook, who keeps 11 head of South Devon cattle at Thundry Farm, within the Elstead 3km protection zone, demanded to know why footpaths near his farm were still open. "It would be nice if you implemented some of these things to protect my farm in particular," he said, and announced he had been "a very naughty boy" and closed one path himself unilaterally on the Monday following the cullings. "We only got permission to close it at 5pm yesterday," said Peter Denard, from the Surrey Trading Standards team helping with the emergency. "We had teams out last night and today. What we would like is some feedback." Mr Shubrook also queried why the road between Normandy and Elstead was not included in the protection zone, bearing in mind that Elstead farmer Derrick Pride, whose 38 cattle kept at Normandy were all infected, had been unwittingly travelling the route daily in his tractor to tend the herd. The minister stressed that such decisions are made by the Secretary of State taking into account the risk involved as advised by the chief veterinary officer. He revealed, however, that the closure of Elstead's rights of ways had been a victory for public pressure. The decision was taken "not on science grounds, but because the local community wanted it and we didn't want to stand in your way". Mr Shaw told villagers: "This is a horrible time for this community. None of us thought we would hear those dreaded words 'foot and mouth' again, but we have." Asked how long restrictions were likely to last, he explained that at the moment animal health staff were engaged in the "huge task" of examining every susceptible animal within the protection zones and taking blood samples from sheep, which do not show outward signs of the disease. "After disinfection of the final foot and mouth case, it is then around 30 days, but if we get further cases, then it will be longer," he advised. Mr Shaw was tackled over why it had been necessary to cull a herd, only for it to be tested disease-free. "The culling of that herd was done on the basis that they had a dangerous contact. That policy is supported by the NFU," he replied. After hearing criticism of the lack of clear information on the Defra website, for those affected by the crisis in Elstead, the minister apologised, indicating the primary focus had been control of the disease. He pledged to ensure the website is properly updated and to provide answers to the issues raised at the meeting through Jeremy Hunt. Among these were how horse owners can move their animals if there is a veterinary emergency and how they can get a licence to move them around and out of the protection zone. As far as exercising horses was concerned, the rule was that they could be hacked out as long as they did not leave or enter premises where there were susceptible animals, did not cross the boundary of the protection zone or ride on land or paths that had been closed. One member of the audience said that if the disease could be spread by people's feet, then wildlife such as badgers, foxes and deer must also pose a risk. "Unless you can completely keep all the wildlife out of your infected area, that blows a great big hole in your precautions." Wildlife was considered a low risk, she was told. "The population of deer in Surrey is enormous, there is nothing we can do about that." Others were concerned about whether they risked spreading the disease by taking their dogs for walks outside the protection zone. They were told that the only restriction on dogs was that they should be kept on a short lead when out for walks, and this applied within the 10 kilometre surveillance zone stretching from central Farnham in the north to Haslemere in the south. Speaking after the meeting, Jeremy Hunt said: "The sheer number of local people who turned up shows just how concerned people are about the foot and mouth situation in Elstead. I thought it was vital to put those affected by the crisis in touch first hand with the officials seeking to handle the situation. "The minister now knows about the problems being faced by the rural community in Elstead and I will keep putting pressure on him to provide clarity on the issues raised, especially regarding dogs and horses."