Craven was officially declared foot and mouth-free from midnight on Monday.

The move ends an 11-month- long nightmare for thousands of farmers and people running businesses in the Dales.

And it means millions of acres, closed to the public since the outbreak flared up in February, can now be opened up.

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said County Durham and Cum-bria has also been declared free.

The move follows the successful completion of huge surveillance operations during which hundreds of thousands of animals were tested for the disease.

Some restrictions remain in place and all livestock movements will still need a licence, but it means moves can be made to open footpaths to the public.

Already Skipton Woods, closed since February, is open and areas of Barden Moor near Skipton are now accessible.

Nafees Meah, Defra's Yorkshire region operations director, said: "This is the best New Year present we could give to the rural community. Our role now is to continue to assist those farmers still recovering."

Rob Simpson, of the National Farmers Union, said it is great news for Craven farmers. But he stressed the situation is a long way from normality and it could be well into this year before all restrictions are scrapped - especially those relating to the movement of sheep to market.

Malham, near Skipton, was one of the worst-hit villages in the Dales. One caf business folded in the late summer.

Julie Boocock, who runs the Buck Inn in Malham, said it is vitally important the public is fully informed about access to the countryside.

"People will still be confused and could end up staying at home because they are not sure what is going on," she said.

Mrs Boocock said the crisis has cost her business hundreds of thousands of pounds.

"Ironically, the only thing that has saved us so far is that we accommodated officials from DEFRA when they came to the Dale to deal with the crisis," she added.

And Alan Boatwright of Beck Hall, Malham, said he has lost 80 per cent of his trade. "It is picking up already, but how long it will take to get back to normal we don't know," he said.

Bradford Councillor Anne Hawkesworth (Con, Ilkley) is demanding a public inquiry into how the foot and mouth crisis was handled. "There have been a number of calls for an inquiry," she said. "But the Government has not relented."