A farming couple fear 480 pregnant ewes could die because foot and mouth regulations prevent them being moved.

Rachel Matheson, 48, and her husband, David, 49, own Tawneys Farm, at Stanton Harcourt, near Eynsham, where they farm 1,100 ewes.

The 480 pregnant ewes are winter grazing at fields in Shellingford, near Faringdon, but the sheep need to be brought back to the farm for lambing.

David Matheson with his flock

However, strict Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regulations to try to stop the disease spreading mean the ewes cannot be moved.

Mrs Matheson said the lambs were due in about a week's time and the ewes urgently needed to be moved to the farm.

They had now eaten all the turnips in their field and were wallowing in mud. Some of the ewes were falling over and struggling to get back on their feet.

Mrs Matheson said: "We are totally disease-free but we need an emergency licence to bring the ewes home before they die.

"We are having to walk across four fields to get food to them and we simply can't carry enough food.

"People are volunteering to help us feed them but that is not possible because we must try to limit people crossing land to stop the spread of foot and mouth.

"I believe the Ministry of Agriculture is holding an emergency meeting with farm leaders today to discuss the issue of moving pregnant ewes, but we need action now.

"I have been telephoning the MAFF office for 11 days asking for permission to move our ewes but they keep saying 'call back tomorrow'. That is not good enough."

MAFF spokesman Angela Johnson said: "We recognise the urgency of welfare issues. We are working with the NFU and the producers to devise a welfare movement licensing scheme.

"But it must be compatible with containment of the disease."