Finally there is a report to tell us why the foot and mouth outbreak reached our area when it could have been stopped.

The Anderson Inquiry reveals that the Government was too slow in preventing the spread of the disease, something everyone, outside London, had already guessed.

The report claims the Government should have used the Army sooner, but apparently there is no evidence to suggest this had anything to do with the scheduled General Election.

Why else would the Government delay in bringing in extra help to contain the outbreak?

Ministers should have stopped all animal movements and brought the forces in on day one then they could have stopped it reaching our area.

Cumbria and Devon were the main places affected. If action had been taken immediately then Yorkshire might not have been hit.

Instead Whitehall officials dithered and no one was brave enough to take a firm lead, even now no one will admit whose idea it was to implement the contiguous culling policy.

A hiccup or a major hitch?

Asbestos has been found in the demolition rubble on the site of the new Wharfedale Hospital. The health trust says it was to be expected and that it is just one of the small hiccups holding up the start of work on the new £14 million scheme.

Now two months behind schedule, it won't be long before tough questions are asked. There are plenty of people in Otley who are of the belief the hospital will never be built, let's just hope this is only a hiccup and building work will begin very shortly.