The South of England Show last night became the latest victim of the foot and mouth epidemic.

The three-day show, one of the largest agricultural events in the South, has been called off for the first time in its 35-year history.

It was agreed it was unthinkable to hold it without the livestock and farming community.

The decision was reluctantly made last night by the South of England Show Society, which feared spreading the highly-contagious disease.

It also agreed to call off the popular Spring Garden and Leisure Show scheduled for next month.

Both events were due to be held at the South of England showground at Ardingly.

Cancelling the show is expected to cost the society about £450,000 but will prove far more costly in lost revenue for Sussex.

It regularly attracts 80,000 visitors each June and is one of the largest of its kind in the UK.

The society admitted it had been left with little choice but to call the event off with the continuing epidemic.

More than 30 members of the society's council last night heard representations from Mid Sussex MP Nicholas Soames, a local dairy farmer from Ardingly and one of the exhibitors on the hundreds of trade stands that set up at the show.

Society chairman Carola Godman Law said: "The message to us from rural organisations, farmers and other individuals involved in the show has confirmed our natural instinct - they are all wholeheartedly behind our decision to cancel."

The society is extending its annual one-day autumn show to two days on October 6 and 7 to give disappointed exhibitors and trade stand owners an opportunity to make up lost revenue, but cloven-hooved livestock will be excluded.

Although the garden show would not involve livestock, the society said it would have been irresponsible to encourage large numbers of people into the rural heart of Sussex while foot-and-mouth disease still haunted farmers.

Mrs Godman Law said: "Unravelling these events will be a depressing experience for the staff who have been working tremendously hard over the past few months.

"But they share our view that the difficulties we face are nothing compared to those in other parts of the country who have lost their farms and their livelihoods.

"We cannot take the risk of seeing that happen here."