Sheep and cattle from Suffolk which ended up in Cornwall and Yorkshire before Bluetongue restrictions were imposed in the county have been found to be infected.

Government vets have confirmed that two sheep in Yorkshire and one bovine in Cornwall with the virus have been traced to different premises in Suffolk.

They were moved before the restricted zone covering Suffolk was put in place in September.

The animals will be humanely culled to prevent potential spread of the virus - which is carried by midge bites from one animal to another. Other livestock are also being tested regularly at the premises to monitor whether it has spread.

On Sunday, October 6, four more cases of Bluetongue were confirmed in one sheep in Suffolk, another sheep in Norfolk and one sheep and one bull in Essex - bringing the total number of confirmed infections this season to 127 in England and two in Wales.

The impact of the restriction zone has been hard for livestock farmers in Suffolk both for those whose animals have been infected - and for breeders who cannot sell their animals at specialist markets in other parts of the country.

Although not a health threat to humans, the virus can be deadly to livestock. It has spread to the UK via midges from continental Europe where it has taken hold.

The first case of the season was discovered in Haddiscoe on the Norfolk Broads in August, with other cases coming to light in Norfolk and Suffolk after that.

A temporary restriction zone was imposed on Norfolk and Suffolk, and later extended to include Essex. As more cases have come to light within a wider geographic area, the restriction zone has been extended to cover a large chunk of eastern England.

(Image: APHA) The Bluetongue restriction zone now covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, City of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Greater London, Hampshire (part), Hertfordshire, Kent, Leicestershire (part), Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire (part), Nottinghamshire, Suffolk, Surrey and West Sussex.

Eight cases of BTV-3 have been detected outside the current restricted zone in Bath, north east Somerset, Shropshire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Anglesey, Gwynedd, North Yorkshire and Cornwall.

In these cases, the animals moved to the premises from areas where disease is now known to be circulating but before Bluetongue restrictions were put in place.

Further testing is taking place to ensure there has been no local transmission.

If you suspect bluetongue, which is a notifiable disease, you must report it immediately by calling 03000 200 301 in England.