A unique sheep centre which relies on visitors to survive may be forced to close if the foot-and-mouth crisis continues.

The Seven Sisters Sheep Centre in East Dean, near Eastbourne, has been devastated by the crisis, which occurred during what is normally its busiest time of the year.

The centre, which operates as a working farm open to visitors, relies on tourist visits and school trips for its income.

It has 47 different breeds of sheep, many of them rare breeds.

During lambing season, visitors usually flock to the centre to watch lambs being born, cuddle baby animals and bottle-feed newborns.

It usually attracts as many as 15,000 visitors paying up to £3.25 each for adults during March and April, but so far this year, the centre has not been able to open.

Terry Wigmore, who runs the centre with his wife Pam, says his business has lost £28,000 in the past seven weeks.

To make matters worse, movement restrictions have kept the centre's 400 sheep and lambs confined to their winter quarters.

Instead of grazing on fresh grass in the surrounding hills, they have been fed on dry food at an extra cost of £1,000 a week.

Ten part-time members of staff have already been laid off because of the crisis.