FARMERS in the Basingstoke area face an anxious wait as the foot-and-mouth crisis shows no sign of easing.

Experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food predicted it could be the weekend before vets determine the outcome of secondary tests at Merryfield Farm, Monkwood, near Alton, where foot-and-mouth may have struck.

A five-mile exclusion zone has been placed around the farm while tests are carried out.

With more than 1,000 pigs on county farms, farmers are praying that the crippling virus - which has been confirmed at 24 sites nationwide - is kept at bay in Hampshire.

The crisis is affecting all aspects of life in the rural community with refuse collections and postal services to farms affected by the restrictions placed on people entering and leaving farmland.

The countryside is effectively becoming a no-go area to visitors as health experts try to check the spread of the disease. As well as farmers, other workers in related industries are beginning to feel the effects of the crisis.

Barbara Bryant, chief executive of the North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "The knock-on effect of this problem cannot be underestimated.

"Apart from the effect on hauliers, tourism, shops and pubs have also been affected.

"We are nearly into the holiday season and zoos and rural areas may be off limits to tourists. "

Hampshire County Council this week took the decision to close countryside paths in the region.

And farmers will be able to put up signs forbidding the public access to countryside sites such as the New Forest.

Barriers have been erected across entrances to car parks and temporary closure signs put up next to rural sites in an effort to stop humans or pets passing on the disease to livestock.

The Hampshire Wildlife Trust, which is responsible for more than 50 nature reserves in the county, has closed all of its sites.

The Government has given local authorities the power to fine anyone defying the ban on walking in restricted areas. The maximum penalty is £5,000.

Meanwhile, farmers may now move some livestock but only if they have been granted a licence by MAFF.

Christine Smith, a regional press officer for MAFF, said: "Farmers can apply to the ministry's veterinary staff for a licence if they want to move their livestock. We will issue more details on that as soon as we receive them."

North West Hampshire MP Sir George Young yesterday praised the backing being given by the public to farmers.

He said: "I have been very impressed by the local support for farmers. There is a tremendous feeling of solidarity around Basingstoke.

"I know from my contacts with local farmers just how tough life is for them. Things were beginning to look up and then this outbreak happened. The financial and personal pressures cannot be underestimated."