CHILDREN should be banned from touching animals on petting farms in a bid to halt the spread of E.coli, says the Government.

Farming minister Jim Fitzpatrick said preventing youngsters from coming into direct contact with livestock was a "common sense" precaution which would still allow farm visits to go ahead.

His call comes as attractions report a drop in visitor numbers, with concerned parents staying away.

The outbreak of E.coli O157 last month forced the closure of the World of Country Life attraction in Exmouth, Devon. Its walk-in pet centre has now reopened with approval from the Health Protection Agency after numerous tests concluded there were no direct links to the virus.

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This summer, Godstone Farm in Surrey was linked to dozens of cases, including 14 children treated in hospital.

Fears have been raised about the impact on tourist attractions which rely on farm animals to draw the crowds, and the wider implications for educating children on where their food comes from.

Mr Fitzpatrick said sensible measures should be taken to ensure visits could go ahead safely, which included a ban on touching animals.

"I think what we can say is that we want to minimise the risk to children but one can never ever completely eliminate the risk in any aspect of life," he told BBC One's Countryfile.

"We want to protect our children but we also want to promote their understanding of the world, their learning of the environment and promote farming and the rural community.

"We need to make sure these visits continue and where they have paused, we can restart them."

Final decisions would have to be made by parents and teachers, especially where school trips were involved.

Asked if one way of preventing further spread of E.coli was to impose a ban on touching animals, he added: "That's a precaution which clearly would not eliminate the visit but would reduce the level of risk and in that instance, it sounds to me that it would be common sense to observe that particular precaution."

The O157 strain of E.coli, which causes abdominal pain and diarrhoea, can lead to serious kidney and blood complications.

The infection can prove fatal, particularly for children and the elderly, whose immune systems either have not matured or have been weakened.

It is usually transferred to humans through contaminated water, or contaminated food which has not been cooked properly. It can also be caught via animal faeces. The Health Protection Agency has published a leaflet on how people can stay safe when visiting farms.

It includes advice to avoid "putting fingers in mouths while walking round the farm", eating only in designated picnic areas and preventing children from putting their faces close to the animals.

At the end of September, a Devon toddler died from an E.coli infection, which is not thought to be linked to a farm.

The Health Protection Agency refused to divulge any further information on the grounds of "patient confidentiality".