Over 150 cases of bluetongue have been confirmed in England with some identified on the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire border.

Blue tongue is a disease is caused by infection with the bluetongue virus, which is mainly carried by biting midges.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has reported that 155 cases had so far been recorded in England, up from 69 in mid-September.

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Some of the cases in cattle had been identified on the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire border and on the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire border.

One cow on the island Isle of Wight was confirmed positive on Thursday (November 7) following a report of suspect clinical signs.

A restriction zone has been brought in to help stem the spread of the virus.

Bluetongue – or BTV-3 – can cause infertility and breathing problems in some animals but does not affect people or food safety.

Norfolk and Suffolk were the first counties to be impacted – with restrictions put in place in August.

The restriction zone limits certain animal movements in a bid to curb the outbreak.

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The virus is spread by midges that are often blown over from mainland Europe during spells of warm weather.

Blue tongue affect many different animals including including sheep, cattle, deer, goats, llamas and alpacas. It does not affect humans or food safety

As a notifiable disease, any case of bluetongue legally must be reported.