The government has come under fire for failing to invest in a centre which helps prevent the spread of animal diseases - such as bird flu - which can be devastating to farmers and wider society.

The UK's main animal disease site in Surrey has been "left to deteriorate to an alarming extent", MPs sitting on Parliament's Public Accounts Committee have warned.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency's (APHA) Weybridge facility tackles disease threats such as foot-and-mouth - and the more recent and catastrophic outbreak of bird flu which has brought East Anglia's duck and poultry sector to its knees.

But it is under-funded and inadequately managed, the committee has warned, and the Department for the Environment (DEFRA) has "comprehensively failed in its historical management" of the complex.

East Anglian Daily Times:

Meanwhile the UK faces a number of animal disease threats including bovine tuberculosis (TB) and new potential viruses such as African swine fever and diseases, a report from the committee says.

APHA's Weybridge site is the UK's primary science facility for managing threats from animal disease but DEFRA has "comprehensively failed in its historical management" of the complex, the committee said.

The situation has left the site vulnerable to a major breakdown - which was highlighted by a generator failure which led to a loss of power to some of the high containment buildings, it added.

The committee found more than 1,000 single points of failure that would cause major disruption to operations.

Delaying an upgrade to the site has meant the price tag for the works has leapt from an estimated £1.2bn to £2.8bn - although costs remain uncertain.

The treasury has not yet agreed to fund the works in full, and there is a risk it will not have sufficient staff and expertise to deliver it, the report said.

The redevelopment programme is not due to be completed until 2036, and DEFRA is looking to manage the risk of breakdown in the shorter-term through a critical works "patch and repair" scheme, ramping up staff numbers and putting in a more appropriate facilities management contract.

The committee is calling on DEFRA and APHA to stress-test how they would cope if there was a significant animal disease outbreak "as a matter of urgency".

Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier MP said "After the 2001 disaster of foot-and-mouth disease, the past decades have brought one animal sourced disease after another.

"It is shocking that Government has allowed UK capacity in this area to deteriorate so alarmingly over that same period.

"These diseases are devastating for our food production systems, the economy and, when they jump the species barrier to humans as Covid-19 did, to our whole society.

"Government must get a grip on this crucial and much delayed redevelopment programme.

"When it comes to the safety of our country, we cannot afford more of the waste and delivery failures that continue to characterise far too many major projects."