THE foot and mouth crisis took a worrying turn yesterday (Thursday) with the first confirmed case in Upper Wharfedale.

Kail Farm at Thorpe became Craven's 27th confirmed case.

NFU secretary Tim Palmer said: "It is extremely worrying now that the disease seems to have taken a side step beyond the Settle cluster.

"We have got to get a response from the Ministry of Agriculture on how they intend to contain this. It is obviously of huge concern to farms around the area."

To date more than 100,000 animals have been cleared from Craven's fields and hills in what has been labelled the Settle Rectangle, an area of land which encompasses part of North Craven, Upper Wharfedale and part of the Ribble Valley.

These include 13,500 cattle, 96,000 sheep and lambs, 85 pigs and 17 goats.

Twenty seven Craven farms have been confirmed as having foot and mouth, and at least 114 others have had their stock wiped out as contiguous premises.

Three other farms have had animals slaughtered on suspicion of having the virus.

The figures do not take into consideration the eight cases over the Lancashire border at Sawley and Gisburn. MAFF believes there is a link between those and the Settle cluster.

The latest cases have been confirmed at West Dockber Farm, Sawley; Lodge Farm, Settle; Nelson Farm, Calton; Kelber Hill Farm, Gargrave; Kirk Syke Farm, Airton; Stankas Hall Farm, Newsholme; Demesne Farm, Newsholme; Bank Top Farm, Sawley; Gisburn Cotes Hall, Sawley; Brigholme Farm, Giggleswick; Lower Buckerhouse Farm, Bordley; Green Farm, Halton West; Stansfield Farm, Nappa, near Hellifield; Kail Farm, Thorpe; and Horton Pasture, Horton-in-Craven.