THE foot-and-mouth crisis has led to the cancellation of the 46th annual Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross Race which was due to take place on Sunday.

Race organiser John Rawnsley said: "Cancelling the event is the last thing we had wanted to do and we regret the disappointment this will cause among the riders who have entered."

Staveley's Rob Jebb was going for his seventh consecutive win in the event which takes in almost 40 miles of the North Yorkshire countryside including the three peaks of Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent.

"I am a bit disappointed but I can obviously understand why it has been cancelled. The same thing happened during the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001," said Mr Jebb.