Joggers and walkers are defying foot-and-mouth restrictions by returning to Ilkley Moor, according to nearby residents.

In the past week, residents on Crossbeck Road, whose houses overlook the moor, say they have seen people ignoring the warning signs on gates and heading for Ilkley Tarn and White Wells.

Simon Ince, 32, said he confronted a jogger he spotted running around the tarn. "I understand the chances of this jogger spreading foot and mouth are very slim. However, she passed through a gate with a clear foot-and-mouth warning on it. The day after she was up there four or five sheep walked on the path.''

Danny Jackson, Bradford Council's Countryside Service team leader, said larger signs had been put up to warn people that restrictions were still in place. "There have been one or two cases of people walking on Ilkley Moor,'' he said. "We have put up bigger signs to reinforce the message that it is closed."