Fears of foot and mouth disease spreading in Britain are receding after the UK's top government vet said the risk of the virus being found outside Surrey is now very low.
Dr Debby Reynolds was speaking after it was revealed that two suspected cases on a farm in Kent and at a zoo in Surrey were false alarms.
She has urged continuing vigilance by farmers, adding that this week is still crucial in terms of containing the disease.
Initial tests on two new suspect cases of the disease have proved negative and exclusion zones around the Kent farm and a Surrey zoo have now been lifted.
A spokesperson for Chessington World of Adventure theme park in Surrey said the children's zoo and creature features areas of the park will remain closed as a precaution, but the rest of the Chessington complex remains open to visitors.
The British Department of Agriculture, DEFRA, is lifting restrictions on animal movement to allow livestock to be moved around a farm, within a 3km radius, for welfare reasons.
The search into the source of the virus is continuing and another report on the suspected source, two nearby labs, is expected next week.
The EU is to hold a meeting of its veterinary experts group on 23 August to consider the possibility of easing its export ban on British meat and livestock, which is currently imposed until at least 25 August.
