New cases of livestock disease bluetongue have been confirmed in Cambridgeshire and Kent, prompting the farm ministry in Britain to expand the area in which it controls animal movements.
"This is obviously unwelcome news for the farming industry, however, given the nature of this disease and its means of spread, this is not entirely unexpected," deputy chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg said in a statement.
The new cases were near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and Ashford, Kent.
The country's first ever case of bluetongue was reported in Suffolk on September 22nd.
Landeg confirmed an outbreak of the disease in the country on September 28th after several subsequent cases of the disease which quickly spread from Suffolk to neighbouring county Essex.
The ministry said there were 41 confirmed premises affected by bluetongue, as of 4.30pm on Tuesday.
The bluetongue virus causes fever and mouth ulcers and in some cases turns an animal's tongue blue. It can be highly dangerous to sheep and cows, although it does not affect humans.