THE FOOT and mouth epidemic reached fever pitch locally at the weekend, but fortunately it proved to be a fuss about nothing.

Anxious farmers, eagle-eyed health watchdogs and concerned country lovers from Journal-land almost choked on their tea and toast on Saturday as they scanned The Daily Telegraph. On a sketch map pinpointing the nation's confirmed cases of the disease was clearly marked Leigh in its correct geographical location.

Hurried phone calls followed but even the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries were baffled by the report of an outbreak in Leigh.

And a Wigan Council spokesman said :"Our environmental health people were very concerned -- they contacted MAFF who had no such details."

But this week a Telegraph spokesman admitted: "It should have been Legh in Cheshire -- national newspapers make mistakes sometimes."