TRAVELLERS told not to leave a site to prevent the foot and mouth virus spreading have now moved across Lancashire .

The group of 12 families left Pleasington Park in Blackburn despite pleas from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to stay put because the park was well within the 16km exclusion zone thrown up around around the Withnell farm which was scene of the first case.

The travellers have now dispersed across Lancashire, with at least two of the families travelling to the Chorley North Industrial Estate, next to the M61, passing the troubled farms in Withnell as they went.

One farm has been confirmed with foot and mouth in Withnell with two more designated high contact risk sites. All have had to lose their lifestock and farmers today condemned the actions of the travellers.

One of the travellers, who said his name was Thomas Grey, said they they saw the massive funeral pyre in Witnell as they travelled to a new site.

But he denied doing anything wrong, saying: "It is not as if we have spread it anywhere which hasn't already got it, if we have it on our wheels.

"I can't see what all the fuss is about.

"We have to live somewhere and it was time to move on."

A spokesman for Chorley Council said it has been asked to let the travellers stay, although eviction orders had been served as a formality.

A spokesman said: "We will not make them move until the foot and mouth crisis is over and they no longer pose a risk of spreading it.

"We have taken instructions from MAFF to leave them alone because it is within the exclusion zone form Withnell."

Across East Lancashire, footpaths have been closed, fields declared no-go zones and prices increased on meat products as locals feels the consequences of the foot and mouth crisis.

Pleasington councillor John Cotton said: "The results of their action could be catastrophic."

Phillip Eckersley, from Knowles Farm, Withnell, said: "We have lost all over livestock because we were deemed a high risk of contact.

"We need people to work with us to make sure that the disease isn't spread and this just smacks of irresponsibility."

A spokesman for MAFF confirmed it had asked local authorities to allow travellers to stay instead of pushing them on, but conceded there was little they could do to make them stay.

Despite the pleas, Mr Grey added: "When we get fed up, we'll move on somewhere else."

The slaughter began on another East Lancashire farm this weekend, where two dozen cattle and several hundred sheep were killed.

A sheep at the Dean Lane farm, Great Harwood, was confirmed as having foot and mouth disease on Friday after a vet spotted the symptoms during a routine patrol. The carcasses are to be buried on the farm.

Owner Kath Barnes, who also runs a greengrocer's in the town centre with husband Alan, said the family didn't want to discuss the case.