Petting farms fear they could be put out of business because of the national E.coli outbreak.

Dozens of children across the country have been infected by the 0157 strain of the virus after visits to farms at sites across the country.

No Sussex farms have been linked to the scare although a handful of children from the county have been infected after a trip to Godstone Farm in Surrey.

But some believe they could be forced to shut because families are so scared about the outbreak that they are staying away.

Karen Harris, the owner of Blackberry Farm in Whitesmith, near Uckfield, said she had lost three quarters of her visitors and might face closure because people have misunderstood the disease.

And Jessica Jenkins, the owner of Washbrook Farm in Brighton Road, Hurstpierpoint, said the number of visitors she was receiving was down by about 90%.