Ilkley Moor will not reopen this weekend - unlike much of the countryside in the Bradford and Leeds district.

Local authorities have been ordered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to open public rights of way from 00.01am this Saturday.

But Ilkley Moor will remain closed because part of it falls into the 3km protection zone around an infected farm at Middleton.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, Bradford Council's environment chief, said: "We have to keep the moor closed. The moor is within the 3km zone from the Hilltop Farm outbreak. There's no real choice."

She warned people to stay off closed footpaths and tracts of land in the Ilkley and Silsden areas.

"Buffer zones must be put in place to make sure this disease does not spread any further.

"The council has been cautious since the foot and mouth outbreak in February and sees no reason to not continue to do so as the livelihood of local farmers is very important.

"Officers will need to carry out risk assessments of land where potentially foot and mouth could be spread with a view to keeping some of the footpaths closed."

Middleton Woods, Panorama Woods and Hebers Ghyll will be opened by the weekend, as will footpaths and country areas across the southern part of the Bradford district i.e. below the River Aire.

All 500 miles plus of the public rights of way network in the Leeds district will be opening from midnight tomorrow.

But Leeds Council is asking members of the public to continue cleaning their shoes after each walk on the path network and to keep dogs on leads at all times.

A spokesman for DEFRA yesterday justified the decision to open up the countryside. He said: "It's a question of balancing the disease risk with the need to open up countryside areas. DEFRA is encouraging more areas to open up but only where safe to do so.

"Local authorities still need to follow advice but our first priority is to control the disease, not jeopardise the local environment.The local authorities maintain the powers to close footpaths where they feel they need to do so. This is a matter for their judgment."

Scores of people went out on Baildon Moor on Sunday - even though it is officially still closed - because they believed restrictions were off after the removal of sheep.

More than 1,000 sheep and lambs on Baildon Moor were slaughtered on Saturday after being identified as potentially having 'dangerous contact' with a foot and mouth infected area.

The army sealed off the moor road between Baildon and Eldwick as Ministry officials and vets carried out the slaughter.

Farmer Gary Greenwood's son, Richard, 32, runs Newlands Farm in Low Bradley, where 230 sheep and cattle were slaughtered last Thursday after foot and mouth disease was identified in his animals on nearby Smouldon Moor.

Gary Greenwood described the slaughter on Baildon Moor as his 'worst day in farming'.

Villagers, who have become accustomed to sheep being on the moor and were holding their annual gala at the time, were shocked by the cull.