THE Professor leading the inquiry into the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Northumbria last night criticised the Government and the Army for refusing to attend.

Northumberland County Council is hosting a five-day investigation into the spread of the virus and how rural communities were affected.

The area - which had its 'at risk' status lifted last night - had one of the first confirmed cases at Heddon-on-the-Wall in February last year.

The inquiry is being led by Professor Michael Dower, a former director general of the Countryside Commission and a lecturer in European rural development at the University of Gloucestershire.

He told the hearing today that the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Army had declined invitations to send representatives.

Both organisations said they would reply to questions in writing.

Professor Dowden said today: "The panel very much regrets that neither the department nor the Army will be present to take part in these discussions.

"They played a major part in the handling of the outbreak and their absence will blunt our ability to make a fair judgment about some issues.

"It doesn't invalidate the inquiry and we propose to do the best we can in their absence."

Professor Dower said rural affairs minister Lord Whitty had replied to his invitation for Defra to attend the inquiry, saying staff should not be diverted from their "prime task" of eradicating the disease from the county.

The chairman said Brigadier Andrew Farquhar informed him that the Army was "constrained by guidelines" when military personnel gave evidence to inquiries.

A total of 234,117 animals have been culled in the county since the outbreak began last year.

A total of 130 organisations and individuals will give evidence to the inquiry this week, which will report its findings next month.

The inquiry team has asked Defra to comment on reports that a phial containing foot-and-mouth disease went missing from the Porton Down research laboratories, Professor Dower said.

He said he was still waiting to hear from the Government department regarding the matter.

He wrote to rural affairs minister Lord Whitty on January 8 with a list of questions which had arisen from information the inquiry had received locally.

Professor Dower asked: "What forewarning did Maff (Ministry of Agriculture) have of a possible foot-and-mouth outbreak prior to the outbreak in February?

"Several of the written submissions the inquiry received refer to reports of a lost phial of foot-and-mouth virus from Porton Down, reports that the disease was present in the country before it was officially admitted, reports that Maff officials were taking preparatory steps (eg making inquiries of timber merchants, taking part in simulation exercises, printing of 'footpath closed' notices etc.) before the outbreak of the disease was officially announced.

"Can you confirm or deny these reports or provide any further detail?"

The chairman hoped to have a reply before the end of the week-long inquiry.