The inquiry into the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Cumbria is hearing its last day of evidence on Friday.

The session in Carlisle will concentrate on the impact on the environment and community.

One of the main witnesses is the MP for Penrith and the Border, David Maclean, whose constituency recorded the highest number of cases in the UK.

The panel will hear that Mr Maclean sent a fax at the start of the outbreak to some of the leading farmers in his constituency, saying he feared the worst for the county.

'More vets'

His warning message was sent two days before the county's first case was confirmed.

Conservative MP Mr Maclean said: "If I could see what was going to happen, how come others did not?

David Maclean: Sent warning fax

"As I was sending my fax out I presumed someone in the Ministry (of agriculture) was throwing their hands up, saying 'oh my God, we have got a catastrophe coming'.

"They should have been forming contingency plans, ordering the sleepers, coal, and diggers, getting more vets, and ordering vaccines.

"But it wasn't happening."

The final session comes a day after a pig farmer was found guilty of keeping quiet about an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among his livestock at the start of last year's crisis.

Bobby Waugh, who ran a pig fattening farm in Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, was found guilty of nine animal health and cruelty charges.

His farm supplied livestock to an abattoir in Essex where the disease was first detected in February 2001.

Mr Maclean will also tell Friday's hearing that as the outbreak took hold he continued to send letters urging action to farmers leaders, ministers and Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Tourism 'devastated'

He has given also given the inquiry replies to a questionnaire he sent to farmers.

Mr Maclean, a former agriculture minister, blames the failure of systems, not individuals for the sluggishness in dealing with the outbreak.

The county was one of the worst affected by the epidemic, which started in February 2001.

The inquiry has already heard from tourism officials who said government announcements telling people not to travel to the county had a devastating effect on the Lake District and surrounding areas.

The inquiry report will be submitted to Cumbria County Council at the end of July.

County gardens

This year hoteliers in Cumbria are preparing for "the most important season since the war", by sending tourists cards telling them: "Wish you were here."

About 250,000 people across the UK are due to be sent a postcard at the start of the Bank Holiday weekend showing views of some of the county's finest gardens.

The foot-and-mouth inquiry will hold one more public meeting in Grasmere in June, when the impact on Cumbrian tourism will be discussed.

Professor Phil Thomas and his team will then have until the middle of July to write their report, before it is submitted to Cumbria County Council at the end of the month.