Guardian claims construction workers could have spread disease

Construction workers may have spread the foot and mouth virus which struck last month, a report in today's Guardian says.

The report claims an official government-commissioned inquiry will highlight biosecurity breaches by builders. Although the exact cause may never be established, the report will say that the movements in and out of the laboratory at the centre of the outbreak by 120 workers were not properly monitored.

The investigation raises the possibility that one of the construction worker's cars, possibly its tyres, inadvertently carried the virus to two farms where the outbreak occurred, four miles from the facility in Pirbright, Surrey.

The workers were on the site following a report that it needed renovation to prevent leaks.