Hundreds of visitors were barred from a nature centre to protect its rare-breed animals from foot-and-mouth disease.

The stock of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and other species at Tilgate Park nature centre has now been placed under quarantine until further notice is given by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Staff at the centre in Tilgate Drive, Crawley, asked the ministry for advice following the outbreak of the devastating disease that has lead to the slaughter of hundreds of farm animals in parts of the country.

Tilgate's own environmental health staff made an inspection of the nature centre, the main attraction at Tilgate Park, on Thursday and immediately made the animal enclosure a no-go area.

Visitors arriving at the centre yesterday were told the nature enclosure had been closed to the public but were still invited to enjoy other activities for children and families.

Tilgate's horticultural officer Alan Dixon said: "It's a fenced-off area, so it will not be that difficult to enforce a no-go control. We have various endangered species and rare breeds, which have all been placed in quarantine until further notice.

"The control may have reduced our numbers by up to a third."