Channel 4 presenter Jon Snow reflects on foot and mouth crisis 20 years on

This week marks 20 years since the foot and mouth epidemic, which was devastating for our region.

More than six million animals were slaughtered, the countryside was virtually closed for months and tourism businesses lost millions of pounds.

Channel 4 presenter Jon Snow reported on the crisis back in 2001. It had such an impression on him at the time that he said Cumbria was "seared upon his soul."

Speaking to ITV Border, he said nothing in 25 years of reporting domestic news had prepared him for the scale of human trauma he experienced that year. He has spoken with Ian Payne about his memories of that time. 

• 20 years since the foot and mouth disaster hit the region