Nobby the Norfolk Horn and his eight co-stars of the popular Sheep Show are stranded in Scotland more than 500 miles from their North Elmham home.

Nobby the Norfolk Horn and his eight co-stars of the popular Sheep Show are stranded in Scotland more than 500 miles from their North Elmham home.

Since the livestock ban on movements to prevent spread of foot-and-mouth disease was made 12 days ago, Stuart Barnes and his team of performing sheep have been marooned at Turriff, Aberdeenshire.

They arrived on August 3 - just before the first case of foot and mouth disease was confirmed on a Surrey farm - ready for the weekend's Turriff agricultural show.

Mr Barnes, 35, is living in a caravan and the sheep are grazing in a secure paddock provided by the show secretary, Bruce Ferguson, on his arable farm.

His business partner, Richard Savory, who started the UK Sheep Show abut 16 years ago, tour the country staging their educational display. It has been a regular feature at the Royal Norfolk Show and at the Spring Fling and has been sent by more than 2.3m spectators in recent years.

However, the movement ban was costing his business dear. "We don't get another chance - when the show has gone, it's gone. And if it can't go on over the August bank holiday, we could be losing £10,000 or £15,000. So, it is a big loss," he added.

Mr Savory, who had contacted his partner, said: "He's just fed up. All the sheep have been inspected every day for the last 10 days up in Scotland. They've been cleared."

"Now, Nobby is even starting to bleat in Scots," said Mr Savory.