The Sussex Independent Schools Netball Championships, involving around 200 children at Roedean School, was cancelled due to concerns over the spread of foot-and-mouth.

Organiser Jane Trumper said: "It is an emotive issue, a very personal thing. We were due to stage national independent and prep school championships a couple of days before but they were cancelled because of the foot-and-mouth worries.

"I decided to go along with them and cancel our county event for the same reason, even if there was only a small risk.

"We had a lot of teams coming from rural areas and our school is close to farmland at Ovingdean. We were due to have 20 to 25 schools and 200 children but it was only a friendly tournament. We gave all the schools involved four days notice."

"Sussex hasn't got foot-and-mouth and that is the way we want to keep it."